| pubmed-article:3130004 | pubmed:abstractText | Echocardiography is universally recognized as a first-line examination easy to perform at all times in patients with thoracic pain suggestive of aortic dissection. But like all diagnostic methods, it has its limitations and pitfalls. The present study, based on 29 consecutive cases, demonstrates the value of pulsed Doppler echocardiography in the diagnosis and monitoring of aortic dissection. When the echocardiographic images are typical of the disease, the Doppler technique helps evaluate the lesions (aortic insufficiency, number of patent channels), but it is mainly in cases with doubtful echocardiographic findings that the Doppler technique provides elements that clinch the diagnosis, notably by showing the presence ot two patent channels with different blood flows. In addition, we would like to draw attention to a new and useful sign: flapping ot the dissected intima when the Doppler window is over it; we observed this sign in 24 of our 29 patients. | lld:pubmed |
