Computed Tomography Imaging Artifact Simulating Type A Aortic Dissection

Alan S Chou; Bulat A Ziganshin; John A Elefteriades

doi:10.12945/j.aorta.2015.15.021

Computed Tomography Imaging Artifact Simulating Type A Aortic Dissection

Aorta (Stamford). 2016 Apr 1;4(2):72-73. doi: 10.12945/j.aorta.2015.15.021. eCollection 2016 Apr.

Authors

Alan S Chou¹, Bulat A Ziganshin², John A Elefteriades¹

Affiliations

¹ Aortic Institute at Yale-New Haven Hospital, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
² Aortic Institute at Yale-New Haven Hospital, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Department of Surgical Diseases # 2, Kazan State Medical University, Kazan, Russia.

Abstract

Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) is an effective tool for assessment of thoracic aortic disease in the modern era. Here, we describe a case of Type A aortic dissection incidentally detected by CT in a 63-year old man. Upon more precise imaging with electrocardiography (ECG)-gated CT, the dissection vanished, revealing it to be an aortic motion artifact. This report highlights the importance of motion artifacts mimicking a dissection flap. CT imaging gated with ECG can distinguish a dissection flap from an artifact.

Keywords: Imaging artifact; Type A aortic dissection.