Painless retrograde type A aortic dissection followed conservative treatment of type B aortic dissection: a case report

BACKGROUND: Retrograde type A aortic dissection (RTAD) is a fatal aortic disease secondary to descending aortic dissection, and might be misdiagnosed due to its atypical symptoms lead to catastrophic outcomes. CASE PRESENTATION: We herein reported a case of a 40-year old Chinese non-comorbid man who received conservative treatment for acute type B aortic dissection and progressed to RTAD in a painless manner in a week. After open surgical aortic repair with stented elephant truck technique, the patient survived without obvious complication and cured with a satisfactory outcome in a half-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: This case indicates that RTAD may present without typical symptoms, early diagnosis and open surgical procedure are imperative for treating RTAD.