Thrombosed Stanford type A dissection of the aorta in an elderly patient following a fall.

Physical or mental exertion is an important antecedent to dissection. A fall is one of the causes of hip fracture in the elderly population. We report the case of a 78-year-old woman who was diagnosed to have a thrombosed aortic dissection after a fall. We wish to emphasize with this case report that aortic dissection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients who complain of chest discomfort after a tumbling over.