Objective To investigate the early diagnostic value of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) for acute kidney injury (AKI) after acute Stanford type A aortic dissection. Methods From January 2018 to December 2018, the clinical data of 50 patients who underwent open surgery for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection were analyzed in Nanjing First Hospital. Urine specimens were collected before and 2 hours after the aortic dissection surgery. Patients were divided into an AKI group (n=27) and a non-AKI group (n=23) according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of urine NGAL. ResultsThe incidence of postoperative AKI was 54.00% (27/50). There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in serum creatinine concentration at 2 hours after surgery and urinary NGAL concentration before the surgery (P<0.05). The area under ROC curve of preoperative urinary NGAL concentration was 0.626. When cut-off value was 43 ng/mL, the sensitivity was 40.7%, specificity was 95.7%. The area under ROC curve of urinary NGAL concentration at 2 hours after surgery was 0.655, and when the cut-off value was 46.95 ng/mL, the sensitivity was 63.0%, specificity was 78.3%. Conclusion Urine NGAL can predict postoperative AKI in patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection, but its value is limited.