Aortic dissection presenting as pleural effusion.
Aortic dissection is a life threatening emergency. This case illustrates the unusual way an aortic dissection can present. This patient presented with sharp, left interscapular pain, which subsided after a while and left-sided pleural effusion. Further investigations revealed that this was a case of thoracic aortic dissection with a leak into pleural space. She underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair with stent graft insertion.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Scarborough General Hospital, Scarborough, UK. Pramodsbly@yahoo.com
Pramod
P
Somasamudra
Ed
E
Smith
Ronja
R
Tandan
D000368:Aged; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000150:complications*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000209:etiology*