Echocardiography and the painful aorta

: The acute painful aortic syndrome is a clinical enity observed in four conditions: dissection, intramural haematoma, penetrating atheromatous ulcer and aneurysm. The diagnosis is based on three imaging techniques: echocardiography, CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging. They have displaced angiography which is incomplete and even dangerous in some cases. Their sensitivity and specificity are comparable in terms of diagnosis. However, each has a specificity. Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography are useful in the diagnosis, the quantification and analysis of the mechanism of aortic regurgitation which may complicate dissection. CT scan visualises the collateral arteries, investigates the physiopathological mechanisms of poor perfusion syndromes and detects parietal fissuration. Magnetic resonance imaging is better adapted to the study of stable forms. In conclusion, transoesophageal echocardiography is a rapid and reliable diagnostic method, it can be used as the investigation of first intention and is essential in patient management. The use of other imaging modes is only required in some cases. The choice, guided by the clinical history, depends on its aptitude to complete the missing or partial data of transoesophageal echocardiography.