Intramural hematoma and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer of the aorta.

Intramural hematoma and penetrating aortic ulcer are uncommon but potentially lethal thoracic aortic pathologies. Despite incomplete understanding of their natural history, they have emerged as anatomically appealing targets of endovascular therapy. Appropriate application of these technologies, however, must be predicated on an understanding of the fate of these lesions left untreated, and predictors of their misbehavior. We briefly review the current understanding of these entities.