Abstract: Objective To explore procedures and methods of forensic investigation for the death cases of aortic dissection with disputes. Methods Twenty-one death cases of aortic dissection with disputes from 2006 to 2011 were collected. All the data were analyzed to investigate the reasons and features of the disputes. Results The main causes of the disputes were clinical misdiagnosis or slight force. The pathologic type of De Bakey （Ⅰ and Ⅱ） or Stanford A were common in each case. For the cases dying of aortic dissection, it was significantly important to detect the rupture of entry and exit and observe the dissection of arterial wall. Conclusion The main causes of clinical misdiagnosis are insufficient experiences, careless observation and curtness in medical treatment. The difficult points in these cases are confirmation of the relationships between injury and disease, the primary affection and complication.

Key words: forensic pathology, aortic dissection, dispute