Isolated lower limb ischaemia as an unusual presenting symptom of aortic dissection : case report - online article

• Published in: Cardiovascular Journal Of Africa 2012-08, Vol.23 (7), p.13-14
• Main Authors: Lee, Chih-Hsien, Wu, Ching-Wen, Tsai, Yi-Ting, Chang, Cheng-Hsi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aortic dissection; Lower limb ischaemia
• ISSN: 1995-1892; 1680-0745
• DOI: 10.5830/CVJA-2012-029

Acute aortic dissection is not common but usually presents with a severe, sharp chest pain and high blood pressure. Widening of the mediastinum is usually also evident on chest X-ray. Although acute onset of severe chest or back pain is the most common presenting symptom, some patients may present with atypical symptoms and signs. Establishing a diagnosis of aortic dissection can be difficult in the presence of atypical symptoms, especially in the absence of pain. Such presentation of aortic dissection is easily ignored. We report a case of painless aortic dissection with normal blood pressure, which resulted in acute isolated lower limb ischaemia at presentation. Atypical presentation of isolated limb arterial occlusions in an older patient without the classic symptoms are seldom reported as aortic dissection. However, aortic dissection should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with arterial occlusive disease without chest pain and with normal blood pressure.