Spontaneous healing of a traumatic thoracic aortic tear: case report

A patient with deceleration trauma of the thoracic aorta causing significant intimal disruption is described in whom complete angiographic resolution was documented during a period of medical management. Review of the literature, along with our experience, suggests that traumatic aortic disruption constitutes a spectrum of injury rather than an all-or-none phenomenon. Immediate surgery, especially in multiply injured patients, may be delayed or even postponed indefinitely if the injury is relatively limited.