Type A Aortic Dissection with Antegrade Intimointimal Intussusception

We describe a 60-year-old man with a history of hypertension who presented to an outside emergency department with chest pain and left lower extremity numbness and weakness. Computed tomography (CT) revealed Stanford type A aortic dissection (TAAD), and he was transferred to our institution for emergent open surgical repair. Review of the outside CT showed no dissection flap in the ascending aorta and a complex flap in the proximal descending thoracic aorta consistent with complex intimal transection at the sinotubular junction and intimointimal intussusception. This case presents high-resolution diagnostic and intraoperative images and illustrates the importance of rapid diagnosis and recognition of the potentially complex nature of the aortic dissection to avoid impending hemodynamic deterioration.