In the United States each year, aortic dissection causes two deaths per 100 000 men and 0.8 deaths per 100 000 women.1 Predisposing factors include Marfan's, Ehlers-Danlos, and Turner's syndrome and mutation in the gene for type III collagen. The third trimester of pregnancy, bicuspid aortic valve (91% of dissected aortic aneurysms show bicuspid aortic valves2), coarctation of the aorta, arteritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile nephropathic nephrocalcinosis, Cushing's syndrome, and cocaine misuse are additional predisposing factors. Arterial hypertension, …