Atypical presentation of dissection of the ascending aorta in young men with cystic medial necrosis: MR findings

Dissection of the ascending aorta is usually associated with severe chest a nd/or back pain. We describe three young men, with pathologically proven cy stic medial necrosis, who presented with atypical clinical symptoms and asc ending aortic dissection diagnosed by MR imaging and surgery, Patients with cystic medial necrosis and aortic dissection may not present with a classi c acute chest pain syndrome, (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 2000.