Detection of different blood flow patterns in the true and false lumina with aortic root dissection by pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

We report a 53-year-old man with aortic dissection, in whom pulsed Doppler echocardiography showed two different flow patterns within the dilated aorta. Although two-dimensional echocardiography has been successful in making the diagnosis of aortic root dissection, several conditions producing false positives have also been noted. Simultaneous recording of pulsed Doppler echocardiography may be useful to provide additional diagnostic clues in selected cases.