cardiovascular disorders
Aortic Dissection
Etiology of Aortic Dissection
Aortic dissections often occur in patients with preexisting degeneration of the aortic media. Causes and risk factors include connective tissue disorders, Atherosclerosis , systemic rheumatic diseases, and injury (see table Atherosclerotic risk factors, notably Hypertension , contribute in more than two thirds of patients. After rupture of the intima, which is a primary event in some patients and secondary to hemorrhage within the media in others, blood flows into the media, creating a false channel that extends distally or, less commonly, proximally along the artery. 