title: [Color Doppler echocardiography in the diagnosis of aortic dissection and aortic wall abscesses].
abstract: In eleven patients with aortic dissection or perforated endocarditic aortic wall abscess cavity, the diagnostic usefulness of Color Doppler Echocardiography (CDE) for the identification of true and false lumen as well as the perforation jet was assessed by comparison with the findings of angiography, digital subtraction angiography, computed tomography and surgery. The information gained in addition to that of these procedures, as well as to that of the four conventional echocardiographic techniques was evaluated. Six patients had aortic dissections of DeBakey type I or III; in all of them the diagnosis had been established with conventional ultrasonic techniques. Similarly, in all patients with aortic dissection of DeBakey type I, a clear differentiation between true and false lumen in the aortic root and ascending aorta could already be made by grey-scaled echocardiography. In these patients, however, CDE made the additional demonstration of the perforation jet into the false lumen possible. In those three patients with aortic dissection of DeBakey type III as well as in the abdominal aortic region of DeBakey type I, color Doppler echocardiography was the only method to define true and false lumen and to clearly localize the perforation sites. Two further patients were found to have a small, local dissection, which could only be assumed by conventional echocardiography; the color Doppler M-mode image led to a clear diagnosis. In three patients an endocarditic abscess cavity of the aortic wall could be detected by conventional echocardiography. Two-dimensional color Doppler echocardiography additionally enabled us to visualize the presence and the course of perforation flows. In two patients color-coded Doppler echocardiography made it possible to detect perforations in regions which could not be localized either with conventional echocardiographic techniques or the above-mentioned control procedures.
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000328:Adult; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003116:Color; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
vernacular_title: Farb-Doppler-Echokardiographie bei der Diagnostik von Aortendissektionen und Aortenwandabszessen.