To analyze the characteristics of aortic dissection in the elderly, we reviewed 168 cases from January 1999 to September 2005 in a medical center in Taiwan. Fifty-six cases were suitable for enrollment in our study. Of these, 44 (79%) were male and 12 (21%) were female; ages ranged from 29 to 92 years, with a mean of 61 +/- 11.75 years. We defined elderly as age >/= 65 years. There was no obvious discrepancy between age and types of aortic dissections involved (p = 0.726). The elderly had the lower mean systolic blood pressure (166.4 mm Hg) upon arrival at the Emergency Department (p = 0.002). Presentation to the Emergency Department with chest pain or chest tightness was more commonly seen in the elderly (66.7%) (p = 0.042). The mean hospital stay was 12.6 +/- 0.5 days, and it was longer in the elderly group (12.96 days) (p = 0.009). Otherwise, the mortality rate was 6.7% +/- 3.6%. We found a lower mortality rate in the elderly than in the younger group (4% vs. 9%, respectively; p = 0.008).