A Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Artifact Mimicking an Aortic Dissection: A Case Series

TL;DR

This case series highlights a POCUS artifact that can look like an aortic dissection but disappears when the ultrasound probe is rotated.

Contribution

The study identifies a new POCUS artifact in the abdominal aorta and provides a method to distinguish it from real pathology.

Findings

A linear, hyperechoic artifact was observed in the abdominal aorta of four standardized patients.

The artifact disappeared when the ultrasound probe was rotated to the transverse plane.

Recognizing this artifact is important to avoid misdiagnosis in clinical settings.

Abstract

This case series describes a point of care ultrasound (POCUS) artifact involving the abdominal aorta of four standardized patients. The purpose of this case series is to highlight this artifact and maneuvers to discern pathology from normal.

Permission was obtained for each case described in this series. POCUS images of the abdominal aorta in both sagittal and transverse were obtained in these four cases. The findings were reviewed and compared.

All four standardized patients were otherwise healthy, thin and female. The artifact was consistently a linear, hyperechoic structure within the lumen of the abdominal aorta in the sagittal plane.

In each of these cases, the artifact disappeared on rotation of the probe from the sagittal plane to the transverse plane. Knowledge of this POCUS artifact and maneuvers to avoid it are important in both clinical and educational settings.

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