Aortic Dissection Maps: Comprehensive Visualization of Aortic Dissections for Risk Assessment

Abstract

Aortic dissection is a life threatening condition of the aorta, characterized by separation of its wall layers into a true and false lumen. A subset of patients require immediate surgical or endovascular repair. All survivors of the acute phase need long-term surveillance with imaging to monitor chronic degeneration and dilatation of the false lumen and prevent late adverse events such as rupture, or malperfusion. We introduce four novel plots displaying features of aortic dissections known or presumed to be associated with risk of future adverse events: Aortic diameter, the blood supply (outflow) to the aortic branches from the true and false lumen, the previous treatment, and an estimate of adverse event-free probabilities in one, two and 5 years. Aortic dissection maps, the composite visualization of these plots, provide a baseline for visual comparison of the complex features and associated risk of aortic dissection. These maps may lead to more individualized monitoring and improved, patient-centric treatment planning in the future.