Acute aortic dissection presenting as a neurologic disorder.
We present 3 patients who had dissections of the aorta that resulted in neurologic disorders. One patient had an altered mental state and developed cardiopulmonary arrest. Two patients had acute hemimotor findings. In 1 of these 2 cases, progression to cardiopulmonary arrest occurred. We discuss the possibility of neurologic disorder, especially acute ischemic stroke, caused by aortic dissection with reviewed reports, and emphasize that thrombolytic therapy may not be easily indicated for acute-stage stroke. We also mention the usefulness of noninvasive techniques, such as chest X-ray, transesophageal echocardiography, color coded Doppler echocardiography, and carotid ultrasound, for accurate diagnosis of the aortic dissection with neurologic deficit.
Kawarabuki
Kentaro
K
Department of Neurosurgery, Kyoto Kujo Hospital, Kyoto, Japan.
Sakakibara
Takehiko
T
Hirai
Makoto
M
Shirasu
Morio
M
Kohara
Ichiro
I
Tanaka
Hideo
H
Oyamada
Masahito
M
Takamatsu
Tetsuro
T
Murayama
Yuichiro
Y
Yamaki
Tarumi
T