Samenvatting
Forty-two cases of traumatic rupture of the aorta were encountered in 1.259 medicolegal autopsies performed in a four-year period. One of every six victims of fatal auto accidents sustained aortic rupture. This lesion was generally associated with accidents characterized by violent and sudden decelaration. Thirteen of 25 passengers and drivers sustaining aortic rupture were ejected from the automobiles. It is important to consider the possibility of aortic rupture in survivors of automobile crahes.