[A clinical study of aortic dissecting]

The clinical features, etiologies, pathogenesis, treatment and prognosis of 70 patients with aortic dissecting were studied. Patients with age ranging from 31 to 70 years consisted 93% of the total. The proportion of proximal to distal types is 0.8: 1. Hypertension was present in 67% and Marfan's syndrome 18% of the patients. The pathologic finding was scattered rupture with myxomatous and cystic necrosis of the mecial elastic fibers. 80% of the patients suffered from the disease without any inducing cause. Of the 76% patients had chest pain, it was very severe in 69%. Chest X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging together with clinical manifestations may accurately diagnose the disease. The sensitivity and specificity of the ultrasound are 97% and 94% respectively. The mortality in hospital with surgical and medical therapy of the proximal type was 14% and 22% respectively, while that of the distal type was 63% and 27% respectively. Rupture of the aneurysm was the cause of death in 68% of the patients.