Accurate classification of aortic dissection is essential for guiding clinical treatment and facilitating communication between radiologists and clinicians. Traditional classifications, such as the DeBakey and Stanford systems, categorize dissections according to their origin and extent, or by involvement of the ascending aorta. The Stanford classification has gained widespread use due to its clear correlation with the surgical and medical treatments available at the time. However, these traditional classifications provide limited guidance for contemporary management, particularly in the era of endovascular and hybrid surgical techniques for aortic repair. Modern classifications, such as the Type/Entry/Malperfusion (TEM) system and Type B dissection reporting standards proposed by the Society for Vascular Surgery and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (SVS/ STS), incorporate more detailed anatomic and clinical descriptors. The TEM system expands upon the Stanford classification by adding a “non-A non-B” category for arch dissections and incorporating entry tear and malperfusion descriptors. The SVS/STS classification introduces a zone-based model that defines the dissection type by the location and extent of the entry tear.Contemporary guidelines have identified several high-risk imaging features that predict poor outcomes in otherwise uncomplicated dissections. This pictorial review compares these classifications and highlights their implications for radiologic reporting, emphasizing how detailed anatomic and risk-based descriptors better align radiologic interpretations with contemporary management strategies.

A 74-year-old woman receiving long-term anticoagulation with warfarin for chronic atrial fibrillation presented with severe acute abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting. Initial laboratory workup revealed a deranged coagulation profile. Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated spontaneous distal jejunal intramural haematoma with associated reactive ileus. No overt pneumatosis intestinalis, intraperitoneal free gas or haemoperitoneum was seen. Based on clinical and imaging findings, a diagnosis of over-anticoagulation complicated by small bowel intramural haematoma was made. The patient was managed non-operatively with analgesia, cessation of warfarin and reversal therapy with vitamin K. Warfarin therapy was recommenced upon resolution of symptoms and optimisation of coagulation status. The clinical presentation, radiological features and overall management of anticoagulation-induced bleeding are further discussed in this article.

A 31-year-old male motorcyclist presented with prepatellar swelling of the left knee after a collision with a car. Magnetic resonance imaging of the knee showed no bony or ligamentous injury to the knee. Instead, a well-defined, thin-walled, T2-weighted hyperintense fluid collection with internal septations was identified in a prefascial location overlying the left patella and patellar tendon. The findings were in keeping with those of a Morel-Lavallée lesion, a closed internal degloving injury. Morel-Lavallée lesions are occasionally encountered after a blunt soft-tissue trauma. The presentation and imaging features are discussed.
Adult ; Compression Bandages ; Humans ; Knee Injuries ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Physical Therapy Modalities ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Trauma Severity Indices