■ Ultrasound
■ Poor sensitivity overall
■ Used to confirm diagnosis of tamponade in unstable patient
■ Transesophageal echocardiography
■ If diagnosis in question in unstable patient
■ CT angiograph (see Figure 2.19)
■ To confirm diagnosis in stable patients
■ High sensitivity and specificity
■ Entire aorta and branches visualized
CARDIOVASCULAR EMERGENCIESFIGURE 2.18. AP chest radiograph showing widened mediastinum and loss of aortic
knob in patient with aortic dissection.
(Courtesy of Matthew J. Fleishman, MD, Radiology Imaging Associates. Englewood, Colorado.)
FIGURE 2.19. Contrast-enhanced chest CT showing type A aortic dissection.
(Courtesy of Matthew J. Fleishman, MD, Radiology Imaging Associates, Englewood, Colorado.)