title: Spontaneous aortic dissection in a 14-year-old adolescent.
abstract: We describe a case of a 14-year-old boy with a spontaneous aortic dissection. The diagnosis was suspected and confirmed with an urgent transthoracic echocardiogram and computer tomography (CT). He underwent an immediate surgery with tube graft replacement of the ascending aorta using a biological glue to reinforce the distal false lumen. Although the immediate postoperative course was uneventful, he continued to have a persistent distal false lumen, which was observed to be enlarging in size on close follow-up. Potential causes of this complication are discussed along with the various different etiologies for aortic dissection in this rare age group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Royal Victoria Hospital, Grosvenor Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. reubenj@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Reubendra
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jeganathan
authors.forename: Balaji
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Badmanaban
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gladstone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D001027:Aortography; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed