Spontaneous acute aortic dissection in pregnancy: report of a case devoid of known risk factors

Acute aortic dissection in pregnancy is a rare condition with a potentially catastrophic outcome. The low rate of incidence together with variable presenting features in such circumstances makes diagnosis elusive. A high degree of clinical suspicion and diagnostic acumen is especially required in pregnant women without any history of connective tissue disorder, congenital aortic valvular malformation, or chronic hypertension. In this report, we present a case of aortic dissection with multiple aortic intimal tears in a medicolegal autopsy of a young pregnant woman who developed circulatory collapse and died during labor.