[Errors and hazards in the diagnosis of aneurysms of the thoracic aorta]

Altogether 70 patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms were investigated. Of them 23 (32.9%) were investigated with prior diagnostic errors. In 13 patients the diagnosis of thoracic aortic aneurysm was made during erroneously performed thoracotomies (12 patients) and laparotomies (one patients). Diagnostic errors leading to bad tactical mistakes, were caused by insufficient patients' examination and wrong interpretation of x-ray findings.