He died suddenly at the age of 45 from a dissecting aneurysm of the aorta.

Then he listened to another lecture - which, by coincidence, was about the lethal dangers of dissecting aneurysms.

The anesthesiologist told Thomas that the patient had suffered a dissecting aneurysm following a catheterization.

Other causes can include dissecting aneurysms and arterial spasms.

"A dissecting aneurysm, just above the aortic saddle."

Dissecting aneurysms, too, can sometimes rupture.

Dissecting aneurysms of the vertebral artery constitute 4% of all cerebral aneurysms, and are hence a relatively rare but important cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage.

The term "aortic dissection" was introduced by the French physician J.P. Maunoir in 1802, and René Laennec labelled the condition "dissecting aneurysm".

In medical pathology, dissection (or, incorrectly, dissecting aneurysm) refers to a tear within the wall of a blood vessel, which allows blood to separate the wall layers, creating a pseudoaneurysm.

FAD is thought to be passed down as an autosomal dominant disease and once inherited will result in dissection of the aorta, and dissecting aneurysm of the aorta, or rarely aortic or arterial dilation at a young age.

In addition to the typical bulging aneurysm, there is what doctors call a dissecting aneurysm, in which blood gets between the inner and outer layers of the aorta, causing swelling of the outer wall and a narrowing of the passageway through the artery, which can diminish the blood supply to various organs.

The mortality rate for those still living at time of admission who suffer complications (among others, cardiac arrest or further arrhythmias, heart failure, cardiac tamponade, a ruptured or dissecting aneurysm, or another heart attack) from cardiogenic shock is even worse around 85%, especially without drastic measures such as ventricular assist devices or transplantation.