Intravascular ultrasound evaluation for assessment and therapeutic decisions in aortic diseases.

Intravascular sonography (IVS) was employed in several aortic pathologies. Acute dissecting aneurysm, chronic or recurrent dissection in previously repaired aneurysm, iatrogenic (postcatheterism) dissection, noncommunicating dissection (mural hematoma), chronic and acute partial thrombosis, and mural fibrosis following aspecific aortitis were studied. The stationary and dynamic observations combined with angiographic findings provided useful information for characterization of the lesions and for therapeutic decisions. In all 14 patients studied, supplemental data achieved from IVS suggest that a combination of angiography and IVS is the most nearly complete examination for concomitant and fast diagnostic workup.