Comparative diagnostic value of transesophageal echocardiography and retrograde aortography in the evaluation of thoracic aortic dissection

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the comparative diagnostic value of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and retrograde aortography for morphologic evaluation and anatomic mapping of aortic dissection. Seventy patients (aged 18 to 79 years) were prospectively evaluated with both techniques for suspected aortic dissection. In 64 patients, findings on aortography and TEE could be validated against intraoperative (n = 53) and postmortem (n = 11) findings. Examination time was significantly shorter for TEE (9 ± 6 vs 48 ± 25 minutes; p