Stent in a dissecting aorta. Coloured sagittal computed tomography (CT) scan of the aorta of a 48-year-old patient with a stent in a dissecting aorta. The stent (white, upper centre) has been implanted to repair the aorta. The front of the body is at left in this view from the side. The spine is at right, and staples (white) are seen in the sternum (breast bone), indicating that the repair of the aorta was carried out by opening the chest cavity. The heart is at centre. The aorta, the main body artery, loops up from the heart and down behind it towards the abdomen. A dissecting aorta is a type of aneurysm where the layers of the wall of the artery have split (dissected). Without surgical repair, the condition is usually fatal. The blood vessels have been highlighted using an iodine contrast medium.