Painless Dissection of the Descending Aorta Detected by Two-dimensional Echocardiography

• The cause of sudden circulatory collapse in an apparently stable, hospitalized patient was diagnosed at bedside as painless dissection of the descending aorta using two-dimensional echocardiography. The clinical manifestation, some newer causes, and the potential applicability of bedside, twodimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis of aortic dissection are discussed.

(Arch Intern Med 1982;142:1932-1934)