Fatal hemopericardium caused by retrograde acute abdominal aortic dissection: an autopsy report and morphological consideration.

A case of acute aortic dissection in which entry is formed at the abdominal aorta is unusual. In addition, an autopsy case of cardiac tamponade caused by spontaneous acute retrograde abdominal aortic dissection is extremely rare and such a report has never previously been published to our knowledge. We herein present an autopsy case of sudden unexpected death due to retrograde extension that originated from the abdominal aorta, together with our considerations regarding the etiology and the unfortunate course of the victim.