Acute Stanford type B dissection and cardiac tamponade: rupture from around ductus arteriosus.

Pericardial tamponade is rarely associated with acute Stanford type B aortic dissection. We encountered this unusual combination in a 59-year-old patient. He underwent an emergency drainage procedure through a midline sternotomy. Operative findings strongly suggested that the dissected aorta ruptured into the pericardial cavity from around the ductus arteriosus. Clinicians should be aware that Stanford type B aortic dissection can cause pericardial tamponade.