[Echocardiographical study of 2 cases of aortic dissection]

The authors report two cases of acute dissection of the ascending aorta and aortic arch. An urgent ultrasonic investigations showed, in both cases, signs of reduplication of the parietal image, which is highly suggestive of the condition; this was confirmed by angiography. These two cases enable us to discuss the criteria for this diagnosis, the limitations of the method, and its very real application in problems of differential diagnosis of acute chest pain.