Two consecutive cases of type A aortic dissection after delivery.

Aortic dissection occurs when blood penetrates the aortic intima and forms an expanding hematoma within the vessel wall, separating the intima and media to create a so-called false lumen. Aortic dissection has been estimated to cause one of every 10 000 hospital admissions. The survival rate of untreated patients with aortic dissections is dismal, with a 2-day mortality of up to 50%. The medical conditions predisposing a patient to aortic dissection are hypertension, advanced age, sex, Marfan syndrome and some forms of congenital heart disease. Pregnancy and delivery are not considered major risk factors for the disease. We report here two consecutive cases of type A aortic dissection (Stanford classification) in young puerperal patients after elective caesarean section.