fig1

Figure 1. Traditionally, aortic dissection is classified on the basis of the involvement of the ascending aorta, the descending aorta, or both. For comparison, the corresponding traditional classifications for the DeBakey and Stanford systems are shown (left). Of note, the Stanford classification is limited in its ability to describe distal aortic involvement. The recent Society of Thoracic Surgeons and Society of Vascular Surgery classification system (right) is based on the origin of the intimal tear and uses zones 3 to 9 to describe the thoracoabdominal aorta. The figure is used with the permission of Baylor College of Medicine.