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Portrait of Aorta

Anatomy Β· Heart & blood vessels

Aorta

Largest artery in the body

Thorax and abdomen Β· systemic circulation

The largest artery in the body, carrying oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to every organ. It rises from the heart as the ascending aorta, arches over the root of the left lung, descends through the thorax, pierces the diaphragm at the level of T12 and ends at L4 by dividing into the two common iliac arteries.

How to spot them

  • β–ΈWide, thick-walled elastic tube; about 2–3 cm across in most adults
  • β–ΈArch gives off three branches: brachiocephalic trunk, left common carotid and left subclavian
  • β–ΈCoronary arteries spring from its very first part, just above the valve
  • β–ΈDescends on the left of the vertebral column, then moves to the midline; the inferior vena cava lies to its right

What to know

The body's largest artery, rising from the left ventricle and arching over the root of the left lung

Aorta β€” ascending part, arch, descending part.

Its arch gives off three branches in turn: the brachiocephalic trunk, the left common carotid and the left subclavian

Aorta β€” the arch.

Passes through the diaphragm at the level of the twelfth thoracic vertebra

Aorta β€” the aortic hiatus, T12.

Ends at the level of the fourth lumbar vertebra by dividing into the two common iliac arteries

Aorta β€” the aortic bifurcation at L4.

Its first two branches are the coronary arteries, arising from bulges just above the aortic valve

Aorta β€” right and left coronary arteries from the aortic sinuses.

The cord-like remnant of the ductus arteriosus tethers its arch to the pulmonary trunk

Aorta β€” the ligamentum arteriosum.

Its elastic wall stretches with each beat and recoils to keep blood moving between beats, a 'Windkessel' effect

Aorta β€” an elastic (conducting) artery.

A ballooning of this vessel's abdominal part to 5.5 cm or more is the usual threshold for elective repair

Aorta β€” abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Key ideas

  • Elastic artery: recoil in diastole smooths pulsatile output from the heart into steady flow to the tissues.
  • Parts: ascending, arch, descending thoracic, abdominal. The abdominal part gives off the coeliac, superior mesenteric, renal and inferior mesenteric arteries.

Quick-fire facts

  • β€’The word comes from Greek aortΔ“, from a verb meaning 'to lift' or 'to hang'; Aristotle is credited with the name.
  • β€’Its three arch branches, from right to left: brachiocephalic trunk, left common carotid artery, left subclavian artery.
  • β€’The aortic hiatus lies at T12, the oesophageal opening at T10 and the caval opening at T8.
  • β€’It bifurcates at L4 into the common iliac arteries, roughly level with the top of the iliac crests.
  • β€’Coarctation of the aorta is a congenital narrowing typically just beyond the left subclavian artery, near the ligamentum arteriosum.
  • β€’The aortic root has three swellings, the aortic sinuses (of Valsalva); the coronary arteries arise from two of them.
  • β€’An abdominal aortic aneurysm is usually treated electively at about 5.5 cm; NHS screening offers a one-off ultrasound scan to men in the year they turn 65.
  • β€’The thoracic aorta gives off the intercostal arteries, bronchial arteries and oesophageal branches.

Drill it β€” 7 cards

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Sources