Familial Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Dissections

Aneurysms and dissections affecting the ascending aorta are associated primarily with degeneration of the aortic media, called medial necrosis. Families identified with dominant inheritance of thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections (TAA/dissections) indicate that single gene mutations can cause medial necrosis in the absence of an associated syndrome.Fifteen families were identified with multiple members with TAAs/dissections. DNA from...