Diseases of the aorta

Abstract

The largest artery in the body, the aorta receives blood pumps from the left ventricle and distributes it distally to the branch arteries. While it is one continuous vessel, its segments have been distinguished anatomically. The aorta begins in the anterior mediastinum above the aortic valve as the ascending aorta, the most proximal portion of which is also called the aortic root. This is followed in the superior mediastinum by the aortic arch, which gives rise to the brachiocephalic arteries. The descending thoracic aorta then courses in the posterior mediastinum to the level of the diaphragm, after which it becomes the abdominal aorta that then bifurcates distally into the common iliac arteries. © 2006 Humana Press Inc.