Loading...
Given the many possible presenting symptoms of thoracic aortic dissection (TAD), identifying patients with TAD is no simple task. In 2010, representatives from 10 specialty societies developed a diagnostic algorithm for TAD based on historical features (e.g., known thoracic aortic aneurysm), symptoms (e.g., quality and onset of pain), and signs (e.g., new murmur of aortic insufficiency). In the current study, researchers developed a risk score based on the algorithm and retrospectively applied it to an international registry of 2500 proven TAD cases (obtained over 14 years).
The score assigned 1 point for the presence of any of the features in each of the three groups (historical features, symptoms, signs); a score of 0 was considered low ri…