Type A aortic dissection with transient myocardial ischemia caused by intimal flap inverting into the left ventricle.

A 41-year-old man with sudden onset of chest oppression and downslope ST depression was diagnosed as having type A aortic dissection with angina pectoris and aortic regurgitation. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) showed intimal flap inverting into the left ventricle through the aortic valve. This case was rare in that transient myocardial ischemia was induced not by dissection of the aortic root reaching the coronary ostia but by back-and-forth movement of the intimal flap, covering the coronary ostia and interrupting the coronary artery flow. TEE was important for correct diagnosis.