Radiology of aortic dissection: pitfalls in diagnosis

The diagnosis of aortic dissection can be made with certainty when computed tomography or aortography reveals two lumina and a intimal flap between them. If the false lumen is thrombosed, the differential diagnosis between dissection and aneurysm with intraluminal thrombus is difficult. High resolution computed tomography with dynamic scanning seems more effective in differentiating these two entities than aortography. Two illustrative cases are presented.