Descrizione

Aortic pathology still represents a big challenge, from both a diagnostic and therapeutic point of view. It requires increasingly specialized skills. This book is the result of a collective effort aimed at exploring the most recent innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of aortic pathology, with particular focus on the adoption of new technologies, such as 3D printing, virtual and augmented reality. Readers of this volume will initially be conducted, through forensic clinical anatomy, and the detailed classification of aortopathies, with a panoramic view of the underlying pathological substrates, to an easy and intuitive understanding of these diseases. We continue to stress the importance of early diagnosis, physical examination, and diagnostic tests, such as echocardiography, angio-CT scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) intravascular ultrasound, and optical coherence tomography, highlighting how timely recognition of aortic diseases can greatly improve clinical outcomes. Genetic testing allows early diagnosis in cases of asymptomatic patients, which could be affected by genetically transmitted syndromes of cardiovascular interest, for instance Marfan’s Syndrome, Loeys-Dietz’s Syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos’ Syndrome. Genetic evaluation opens new perspectives in terms of effectiveness and personalization of care. Finally, the authors aim to offer readers a careful and in-depth analysis of the ethical, social, legal, economic, and organizational aspects related to the introduction and use of new technologies, such as 3D printing, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. But, also, to new opportunities that could derive from the aforementioned technologies, for instance; development of simulators for surgical training, bioprinting and less invasive surgical techniques. Certainly this “paper” manual, witness of a tradition that cannot disappear, can be helpful to those who want to introduce themselves to the subject, or qualify their own specialized training; it represents a synthetic and preparatory tool to insights and specific specializations.