Happy to hear the pilot had a successful surgical treatment!
For the record, aortic dissection has only a passing similarity to a stroke. A stroke occurs when neurological (brain) tissue is damaged due to a lack of blood (either because a vessel has ruptured or has become obstructed). Stokes almost always lead to some amount of neurological impairment (speech, motor control, cognition…). Some people have full recovery and some don’t.
Aortic dissection is the failure of the largest blood vessel in the body (the aorta, which carries the entire blood supply of the body from the left ventricle of the heart). When severe, death can occur in minutes due to a near complete loss of blood pressure. Risk factors for aortic dissection are uncontrolled high blood pressure, older age (sorry), some connective tissue disorders, and a congenital condition of the aortic valve (bicuspid aortic valve).
The treatment and the impact of both conditions differ considerably (although either one can kill you).