Type B Aortic Dissection Involving an Isolated Right-Sided Aortic Arch

We report a case of a 48-year-old man in whom type B aortic dissection in the right aortic arch and right descending aorta was diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography and computed tomographic scan. Angiography was necessary to define the anatomy of the branching vessels. The patient was successfully treated by interposition of a Vascutek 24-mm Dacron woven tube with a right posterolateral thoracotomy approach. Circulatory arrest in profound hypothermia and cerebral retroperfusion were used. (Ann Thorac Surg 1996;62:887–8)