Painless Dissecting Aneurysm of the Aorta

Abstract

A case is reported of a man who had an acute painless dissecting hematoma of the aorta, which was diagnosed clinically in the absence of hypertension or known precipitating cause. The successful surgical treatment is described and illustrated. The following diagnostic features were stressed in the absence of pain: sudden onset of symptoms, syncope, acute peripheral arterial occlusion, appearance of aortic insufficiency, and finding of bruits over the course of the aorta. The significance of the symptom of pain in the torso and the possible modes of its production in this condition are considered, and it is suggested that pain in dissecting aneurysm may imply a poor prognosis.