title: [Sudden death caused by aortic dissection: 63 cases of forensic pathological analysis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the cause of death, clinical manifestations and forensic pathological features of death cases caused by aortic dissection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-three cases of aortic dissection were selected from forensic medical center, Sun Yat-sen University from 2001 to 2011 and retrospectively analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients were mostly young and middle-aged male, aged from 30 to 49 years old. The DeBakey type II was the most common pathological type and the main cause of death was pericardial tamponade. The most common symptom was abdominal pain. However, the location of aorta dissection did not always correlate with the location of pain. Some cases showed no obvious clinical symptoms. The rupture was usually located in ascending aorta with atherosclerosis and pathological changes of hypertension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is significant for diagnosis and evaluation the cause of death of aortic dissection by knowing the clinical symptoms and forensic pathological features.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Pathology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China. lei.er1010@163.com
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Clinical Department, 157th Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, Guangzhou 510510, China.
authors.forename: Shuang-Gao
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital of Huangshan, Huangshan 245000, China.
authors.forename: Cui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Centre, Public Security Department of Qingyuan, Qingyuan 511500, China.
authors.forename: Dan-Yuan
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Pathology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Pathology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Ding
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Pathology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors.forename: Shuang-Bo
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology*; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult