title: Giant Aortic Root Aneurysm Presenting as Acute Type A Aortic Dissection.
abstract: A 49-year-old woman with four months of increasing episodic palpitations, chest pain, and shortness of breath presented to an outside clinic where a new 4/6 systolic ejection murmur was identified. A transthoracic echocardiogram revealed a large aortic root aneurysm. The patient underwent emergent repair of the dissected root aneurysm with a modified Bentall procedure utilizing a #19 St Jude Valsalva mechanical valve conduit. Postoperatively, she required a permanent pacemaker placement. Her echo showed ejection fraction improvement from a preoperative 25% to a postoperative 35%. She was discharged home on postoperative day 7.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Guy M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Raz
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Sotiris C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Stamou
keywords: Aneurysm; Aortic root; Bentall procedure