SYNOPSIS: Patients with suspected acute thoracic aortic dissection should undergo at least one diagnostic test, even if the clinical suspicion is very low. A patient with a moderate to high clinical suspension for dissection should undergo a second diagnostic test if the first test is negative. When the prbability of dissection is high, the physician must consider delays in obtaining diagnostic tests and order the test that will be most quickly available and not necessarily the most sensitive.SOURCE: Sarasin FP et al. Detecting acute thoracic aortic dissection in the emergency department: time constraints and choice of the optional diagnostic test.