Case Report and Review of Literature: Late Retrograde Type A Aortic Dissection With Rupture after Repair of Type B Aortic Dissection with a GORE TAG Endovascular Prosthesis.

Acute aortic dissection is the most common catastrophic condition of the aorta. Treatment options include open surgery and thoracic endovascular aortic reconstruction (TEVAR). We present a late Type A dissection as a complication of the management of descending aortic dissections with TEVAR and a review of the literature. TEVAR of the thoracic aorta is a viable treatment option for the management of complicated descending thoracic aortic dissections. Careful patient selection is necessary as medical therapy successfully treats the majority of uncomplicated Type B dissections. TEVAR should be reserved for patients with complicated Type B dissections or those who fail nonoperative management. Close postoperative monitoring is necessary when TEVAR is performed and should be accompanied by lifelong surveillance. A high level of suspicion is important to identify retrograde Type A dissections in these patients given its rarity and the ambiguity of its clinical presentation.