Information about Aorta

Artery:
The thoracic aorta, heart and other great vessels.
	subject #142
Branches	thoracic aorta, abdominal aorta
MeSH	Aorta

The aorta (generally pronounced [eɪˈɔːtə] or "ay-orta") is the largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and bringing oxygenated blood to all parts of the body in the systemic circulation.

The course of the aorta

The aorta is usually divided into five segments/sections ^{[1] [2]} :

• Ascending aorta — the section between the heart and the arch of aorta
• Arch of aorta — the peak part that looks somewhat like an inverted "U"
• Descending aorta — the section from the arch of aorta to the point where it divides into the common iliac arteries
• Thoracic aorta — the half of the descending aorta above the diaphragm
• Abdominal aorta — the half of the descending aorta below the diaphragm

Features

The aorta is an elastic artery, and as such is quite distensible. When the left ventricle contracts to force blood into the aorta, the aorta expands. This stretching gives the potential energy that will help maintain blood pressure during diastole, as during this time the aorta contracts passively.

Diseases/pathology

• Aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva
• Aortic aneurysm - myotic, bacterial (e.g. syphilis), senile, genetic, associated with valvular heart disease
• Dissecting aortic aneurysm
• Aortic coarctation - pre-ductal, post-ductal
• Atherosclerosis
• Marfan syndrome
• Trauma, such as traumatic aortic rupture, most often thoracic and distal to the left subclavian artery^[3] and frequently quickly fatal^[4]

References

External links

• Gray's s153 - Descending aorta
• Gray's s154 - Abdominal aorta

•  • [ e] Cardiovascular system
Blood  |  Heart → Aorta → Arteries → Arterioles → Capillaries → Venules → Veins → Vena cava → Heart → Pulmonary arteries → Lungs → Pulmonary vein

•  • [ e] Arteries of torso - chest
Pulmonary/ coronary	right coronary (sinuatrial nodal, atrioventricular nodal, atrial, right marginal, posterior interventricular) - left coronary (anterior interventricular, left circumflex, left marginal)
Ascending aorta	aortic arch - brachiocephalic (thyreoidea ima) - common carotid
Subclavian	internal thoracic: anterior intercostal - pericardiacophrenic - terminal (musculophrenic, superior epigastric) costocervical trunk: highest intercostal, deep cervical
Descending / thoracic aorta	bronchial - esophageal - posterior intercostal - subcostal

•  • [ e] Arteries of torso - abdomen
ABDOMINAL AORTA: Anterior	celiac left gastric – splenic: pancreatic branches (arteria pancreatica magna) – short gastric – left gastro-omental – common hepatic: proper hepatic (cystic), right gastric, gastroduodenal (right gastro-omental, superior pancreaticoduodenal) superior mesenteric inferior pancreaticoduodenal – intestinal – ileocolic (appendicular) – right colic – middle colic inferior mesenteric left colic – sigmoid – superior rectal – marginal
ABDOMINAL AORTA: Posterior	Visceral: middle suprarenal – renal (inferior suprarenal) – testicular/ovarian Parietal: inferior phrenic (superior suprarenal) – lumbar – median sacral Terminal branches: common iliac
INTERNAL ILIAC: Anterior	umbilical (superior vesical, to ductus deferens) – inferior vesical – middle rectal – uterine (azygos of the vagina) – vaginal – obturator (anterior branch, posterior branch) – internal pudendal (inferior rectal, perineal, artery of the urethral bulb, urethral, deep artery of the penis, dorsal artery of the penis) – inferior gluteal (accompanying of ischiadic nerve, crucial anastomosis)
INTERNAL ILIAC: Posterior	iliolumbar – lateral sacral – superior gluteal
EXTERNAL ILIAC	inferior epigastric (cremasteric) – deep circumflex iliac