Aortic dissection detected 40 days after mitral valve replacement

We report a case of a 61-year-old man with aortic dissection, which was detected after mitral valve replacement. The presenting manifestation was a moderate, dull and steady pain in his right scapular region, which started on the 40th postoperative day and irradiated to the back and lower limbs. The dissection and its extent was diagnosed on transthoracic echocardiography and CT scanning and the patient improved on conservative management with beta blockers. The main purpose of reporting this case is to emphasize challenges involved with early diagnosis of this ominous condition due to nonspecific symptoms and unreliable clinical examination, and to highlight the role of the imaging studies to confirm the diagnosis of this entity.