Genetic Basis of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Dissections

: Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms leading to type A dissections (TAAD) have long been known to occur in association with a genetic syndrome such as Marfan syndrome (MFS). More recently, TAAD has also been demonstrated to occur as an autosomal dominant disorder in the absence of syndromic features, termed familial TAAD . Familial TAAD demonstrates genetic heterogeneity, and linkage studies have identified TAAD loci at 5q13‐14 ( TAAD1 ), 11q23...