Chronic Calcified Aortic Dissection

Two cases of chronic aortic dissection are presented. In both, plain chest roentgenograms revealed calcification in the outermost aspect of the dilated aorta. It is clear that this represented calcification of the dissection rather than of the true intima. These cases indicate that apparent aortic intimal calcification with dilatation of the aorta is not completely diagnostic of an arteriosclerotic aneurysm and that a chronic calcified aortic dissection must also be considered in the differential diagnosis.