Key Points
2
➤ This Pocket Guide summarizes a new classification system for
practical use and reporting of type B aortic dissection including the
aortic arch.
➤ In addition, the Society for Vascular Surgery and the Society of
Thoracic Surgeons (SVS/STS) has provided improved standards for
reporting type B aortic dissection (TBAD), with particular attention
to those attributes of TBAD that would appear to have an impact on
outcomes.
Introduction
➤ Management of aortic dissection has evolved over time and now
includes medical, surgical, and endovascular therapies performed
by several specialties, including vascular surgery, cardiothoracic
surgery, interventional radiology, and cardiology. There has been
an explosion of literature in multiple specialty journals regarding
presentation, treatment, and outcomes. Consequently, SVS/STS
has responded to the need for a common, updated, inclusive and
systematized structure for the reporting of TBAD and, by extension,
management of aortic dissection in general. Particular attention has
been paid to those attributes of management that would appear to
have an impact on outcomes and therefore augment improvements
through a common, comprehensive database.