Aortic dissection complicated with haemothorax – an autopsy report. (March 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jayanth, SH; Chandra, Girish; Hugar, Basappa S
• Is Part Of: Medico-legal journal. Volume 83:Part 1(2015)
• Page Start: 40
• Page End: 42
• Publication Date: 2015-03
• Subjects: Sudden natural death -- aortic dissection -- haemothorax; Medical jurisprudence -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Crime -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 614.105
• DOI: 10.1177/0025817213517349
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-8172

Abstract

In a forensic setting, haemothorax is usually seen in cases of trauma. The main non-traumatic cause for haemothorax is an intrathoracic rupture of an acute aortic dissection or an aortic aneurysm that is almost always fatal. Here we present one such case of sudden natural death caused by rupture of an acute aortic dissection. The deceased was a middle-aged, unidentified male who was subjected to autopsy at the Department of Forensic Medicine, M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, after having been brought in dead to the hospital. It is a type III DeBakey dissection as it originates in the descending aorta and it is quite unusual that a rare retrograde extension was also observed.