J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  1998 Jun;9(2):257-263.

Clinical analysis of dissecting aortic aneurysm in emergency department

• Woo KH
• Kim WY
• Kim HY

Abstract

Dissecting aortic aneurysm is an emergency condition which requires prompt diagnosis and management. From January 1992 to December 1996, 54 patients were admitted to our department. Patients were categorized according to the Stanford classification of aortic dissection and investigation of the clinical records utilized the retrospective method. Male constituted the majority, according for 38(70.4%) of the total number of patients, whereas females accounted for 16(29.6%). Mean age was 52.1+/-2.2 years old (range:25~82). Clinical findings included chest pain in 46 cases(85.2%), renal failure in 11(20.4%), aortic insufficiency in 10(18.5%) and stroke in 9(16.7%). Predisposing factors were hypertension in 48 cases(88.9%), Marfan's syndrome in 5(9.3%) and diabetes mellitus in 1(1.8%). 21 patients(type A:12, type B:9) underwent surgical treatment. There were three(2 in type A and 1 in type B) deaths in the surgical treatment group and nine(5 in type A and 4 in type B) deaths in the medical treatment group. These results reflect our current policy in the management of dissecting aortic aneurysm.

MeSH Terms

Aortic Aneurysm*
Causality
Chest Pain
Classification
Diabetes Mellitus
Diagnosis
Emergencies*
Emergency Service, Hospital*
Female
Humans
Hypertension
Male
Marfan Syndrome
Renal Insufficiency
Retrospective Studies
Stroke