RESUMO
Aortic dissection is often a catastrophic, life-threatening condition that may not always present with symptoms. Without intensive treatment, the mortality within the first 2 weeks of onset is reportedly as high as 80%. Acute aortic dissection classically presents with the symptoms of abrupt chest pain that sometimes radiates to the back, abdominal pain, or back pain alone. The patient may be cool and clammy, which is indicative of a shock syndrome. It can be associated with neurologic sequelae in as many as one third of all patients. Painless dissection occurs in approximately 5% of patients, and the diagnosis may often be delayed. We report a case of aortic dissection where the patient presented with a history of accidental fall and a new onset of flaccidity of the left lower limb.
