ABSTRACT
Aortic aneurysms and dissections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and quick precise delineation of the underlying pathoanatomy is highly desirable and helpful for more favorable surgical management of these often critically ill patients. The majority of aortic aneurysms are caused by atherosclerosis, while other causes include Marfan syndrome, cystic media necrosis, trauma, and post-stenotic dilatation of infectious mycotic disease. Aortic dissection is caused by a small tear in the intima, which propagates by dissecting the intima from the tunica media and the adventitia thus creating two channels: a false channel and a true channel. Intramural hemorrhage can be described as a dissection without initial tear which is considered an imminent precursor of aortic dissection. Computed tomography scanning is excellent for the diagnosis of a central large pulmonary embolism but is less reliable for clinically important smaller pulmonary emboli in the peripheral pulmonary arteries.
