A rare case of chronic type II DeBakey aortic dissection complicated by chronic massive pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade

Abstract

An 88-year-old female patient with a history of hypertension and asthma presented to the emergency department with progressive dyspnea worsening with exertion, orthopnea, severe fatigue, and peripheral edema for the past four months. Her symptoms had not responded to bronchodilators. Echocardiography and contrast-enhanced thoracic CT revealed aortic valve regurgitation, an ascending aortic aneurysm with Type II aortic dissection, massive serous pericardial effusion causing tamponade, and bilateral pleural effusion. The patient underwent successful surgical intervention. We report a rare case of chronic Type II aortic dissection leading to cardiac tamponade, associated with an ascending aortic aneurysm, aortic valve regurgitation, and chronic massive serous pericardial effusion, a combination rarely documented in the literature.