Connecticut medicine
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Connecticut medicine · Jun 2004
Case ReportsRuptured thoracic aortic dissection presenting as opacified left hemothorax.
Acute aortic dissections are uncommon, with a reported incidence of 2000 cases per year in the United States. Hemothorax is an unusual but well-described complication of ruptured thoracic aortic dissection. It usually occurs on the left and can be seen in both proximal and distal dissections. ⋯ Clues that would indicate aortic dissection such as abnormal aortic silhouette and widened mediastinum may be obscured by an opacified hemothorax caused by rupture of a thoracic aortic dissection. A high index of suspicion is necessary to make a diagnosis of ruptured thoracic aortic dissection in a patient presenting with hemothorax. This is illustrated in the case described.