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An 84-year-old man with a history of gastric cancer and hypertension was admitted to the emergency department in shock after loss of consciousness. Ten years earlier he had been given a diagnosis of a thoracic aortic aneurysm, 56 mm in diameter, and had declined surgical treatment. Although the aneurysm had increased in size over the decade as documented at various years of age on computed tomographic (CT) studies and had reached 98 mm in diameter, he had been asymptomatic until the current episode. CT scans revealed a rupturing aneurysm involving the ascending aorta, aortic arch, and descending aorta. . . . [Full Text of this Article] |