RESUMEN
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the risk factors clinical appearance and examination methods of aortic dissection (AD).</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The clinical data of 106 AD patients admitted from the January, 2001 to July, 2004 were retrospectively reviewed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The symptoms and physical signs of the 106 AD patients were diverse. Chest pain was a common initial symptoms but some patients initial symptoms were atypical. The origins of AD was in ascending aorta when patients had clinical appearance mimicking myocardial infarction, and in descending aorta when patients had pain involving shoulders, dorsum, waist, abdomen or lower limbs. Hypertension was the most important cause of AD. The combination use of echocardiography, CT and MRI may help to make rapid diagnosis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The symptoms and physical signs of AD were diverse. Clinical symptom had some relationship with the origin of AD, the form of AD and hypertension had obvious relations. An obvious correlation exited between the occurrence of AD and hypertension.</p>