Role of echocardiography

Aortic aneurysms and aortic dissection are relatively frequent entities and their prognosis is sometimes fatal. Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography are two of the main diagnostic tools for diagnosis, prognostic evaluation and surgical assessment. In this chapter, the potential use of echocardiography for patients with suspected or demonstrated aortic aneurysm or dissection will be discussed.