ABSTRACT
Acute thoracic aortic conditions do not occur by accident. They represent a culmination of a process that begins oftentimes at the conception of the individual and progresses throughout the lifetime of the individual to result in the acute condition. Many factors in this process are measurable and to some degree may be modifiable. This chapter will explore the events that occur at the cellular and the extracellular matrix levels that, in concert with mechanical forces and over a period of time, lead to the acute conditions of the thoracic aorta that are addressed in the remainder of this book.
