Kohl LP, et al. - Researchers assessed differences between DeBakey groups of Type A acute aortic dissection (AAD) (type I and type II) in a contemporary registry, the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection. Patients with non-iatrogenic AAD were categorized into type I (N=1691, 90.3%) and type II (N=181, 9.7%). Relative to dissection that extended to the aortic arch or beyond, acute aortic dissection limited to the ascending aorta (DeBakey type II) appeared to be related to improved clinical outcomes. In this contemporary report from IRAD, patients presenting with type II AAD suffered fewer dissection-related complications and showed a trend toward reduced in-hospital mortality but no attenuation was seen in five-year survival and descending aortic sequelae.