Aortic dissection presenting as superior vena cava syndrome

Aortic dissection usually presents with chest pain, abnormal pulses, and a widened mediastinum on chest radiograph. It is rarely associated with the superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS), which more commonly occurs in the setting of malignant disease. A patient who had SVCS as a result of a painless aortic dissection is presented and compared with other previously reported cases of simultaneous SVCS and aortic dissection.