Chronic Stanford type A aortic dissection.

: Chronic evolution of type A acute aortic dissection is not frequently observed in untreated patients because of the high mortality rate. Chronic aortic dissection is usually asymptomatic and may be incidentally discovered following an asymptomatic acute dissection. The life expectancy in these patients is prolonged by graft replacement therapy when the aortic diameter exceeds 55 mm. We report a case of a paucisymptomatic 78-year-old woman in whom chest X-ray revealed a right calcified mass.