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W IDENING OF THE LINEAR THORACIC paraspinal shadow is generally attributed to inflammatory or malignant disease having its origin in the vertebral body, disc or paravertebral soft tissue structures. Among the more common conditions associated with changes in the paraspinal shadow, especially with a paravertebral mass, are tuberculous or pyogenic abscess, metastatic or primary malignant neoplasm, including myeloma and lymphoma, hemorrhage as a result of trauma, and others. Recently, abnormalities of the paraspinal shadow have been reported in cases of anemia with extramedullary hematopoiesis.3 Brailsford’ described a case in which rupture of the aorta simulated paravertebral abscess. Otherwise, we are not aware of any report mentioning changes in the paraspinal shadow as a result of dissecting aortic aneurysm. We suspect that with the lowered incidence of tuberculous paravertebral abscess, dissecting aortic aneurysm will prove to be one of the more common conditions producing changes in the paraspinal shadow, especially once the mainfestations of para-aortic hemorrhage and its relationship to dissecting aortic aneurysm are more generally appreciated.