Atherosclerotic aortic rupture: documentation by transesophageal echocardiography

We report a case of a 77-year-old woman who had a rupture of the descending thoracic aorta as a complication of an atherosclerotic aortic plaque. Transesophageal echocardiography enabled the diagnosis of aortic rupture and was very useful in the patient's surgical management.