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Harvey A. Koolpe, MD
Rolling Hill Hospital Elkins Park, Pa

JAMA. 1986;255(21):2899-2900.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

In Reply.—

Dr Yao raises the issue of the significance of the term "dissecting aneurysm." We find the following in The Heart: Arteries and Veins¹:

It is important to recognize the distinct nature of this lesion. The term dissecting aneurysm is often applied but leads to confusion with an entirely separate problem—expanding or leaking aneurysm of atherosclerotic or luetic origin. Aortic dissection is a much more suitable label, particularly since aneurysm formation is not a feature of the acute phase.

External rupture, by far the most common cause of death from aortic dissection, tends to occur at the site of the entrance tear. This validates my comments in the original book review that aortic dissections are primarily a disease of the thoracic aorta, while aneurysms are primarily a disease of the abdominal aorta. It is true that late aneurysm rupture may complicate thoracic aortic dissections; however, as noted above, . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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