The natural history of acute non-traumatic aortic diseases.

Acute non-traumatic aortic vascular disease is a significant cause of mortality although remains poorly understood in clinical practice. In this pictorial essay, the natural history of three entities will be considered: penetrating aortic ulcer, aortic dissection, and aortic intramural hematoma. It is important to recognize that these disease entities have the potential for rapid evolution to severe complications.