CT findings in thoracic aortic dissection.

Computed tomography (CT) findings in 11 cases of aortic dissection were correlated with aortographic, surgical, or postmortem findings. In another two patients, the CT findings were considered diagnostic of aortic dissection but no further workup was performed. All the CT examinations were made before and after bolus injection of contrast. Many of the familiar angiographic signs were appreciated on CT, such as a thickened aortic wall, septum between two opacifying lumens, differential time density between the two lumens, and compression of the true lumen. No false-positive or false-negative studies were encountered. This experience suggests that CT is a reliable, noninvasive method for the diagnosis of aortic dissection.