UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Vascular

Title: What is the sensitivity of a CXR for aortic dissection?

Keywords: aortic dissection, chest xray (PubMed Search)

Posted: 9/23/2008 by Rob Rogers, MD (Updated: 4/19/2024)
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So, how good is a screening CXR for aortic dissection?

Classic CXR finding is a wide mediastinum
Pooled literature shows that the overall sensitivity of a CXR is about 67-70% for aortic dissection (even if upright, or PA and Lateral)
Most authorities agree that a screening CXR alone is not sufficient to r/o aortic dissection

vonKodolitsch, 2005