title: Spondylolisthesis mimicking the progression of dissection in a case of chronic Stanford type B aortic dissection.
abstract: Aortic dissection is an acute lethal cardiovascular condition. A 67-year-old hypertensive woman was admitted to our Emergency Department with an abrupt onset of tearing pain in the interscapular area. A thoracic computed tomography scan with contrast showed chronic type B aortic dissection. The patient was transferred to intensive care and medical therapy was initiated. Upon spread of the pain to the lumbar area, the dissection was thought to have progressed. The patient, being hemodynamically stable, was examined using ultrasonography, and the dissection did not show any progression. In the neurological examination for the lumbar pain, the lumbar processus spinosus was found to be sensitive, and the sciatic nerve stretch test was positive at 30 degrees. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed spondylolisthesis and a centrally located disc herniation at the L3-4 level. No operation for the dissection was planned, but discectomy and fusion surgery was scheduled. Since the patient refused surgery, she was discharged with medical therapy. Our aim in this report was to emphasize the importance of spondylolisthesis mimicking the progression of dissection in the differential diagnosis of a chronic type B aortic dissection case.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Harran University Faculty of Medicine, Şanlıurfa, Turkey. mustafagoz@harran.edu.tr
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Göz
authors.forename: Mehmet Fuat
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Torun
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mordeniz
authors.forename: Mehmet Salih
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Aydın
authors.forename: Abbas Heval
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Demirkol
authors.forename: Hamza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karabağ
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000209:etiology; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D013168:Spondylolisthesis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed