The U-M team is now conducting prospective studies of aortic dissection patients that will follow them over time to see how the false lumen changes as part of its multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Center program in aortic diseases. It is also pursuing the identification of blood markers that might permit an earlier diagnosis both early in the course of a dissection and later on, and working to further refine long-term risk prediction, says Eagle. U-M surgeons G. Michael Deeb, M.D., Himanshu Patel, M.D., and Gilbert Upchurch, M.D. are studying how refinements in open surgery and/or stent grafting can improve survival and reduce complications.