What is the Aorta?

The aorta is the artery that carries oxygen-rich blood out of the left ventricle of the heart. As the largest artery in the body, it has many branches which helps distribute the oxygenated blood to organs and tissues.

Typically the aorta starts from the top of the heart (ascending aorta), curves downwards (arch of the aorta) and continues downwards (descending aorta). The part of the descending aorta that runs through the chest (thoracic cavity) is known as the thoracic aorta while the part that runs below the diaphragm, through the abdomen is known as the abdominal aorta.

The aorta runs downwards and divides into the common iliac arteries which continue through to the lower limbs.

Any pathology that affects the aorta can have serious effects or even be potentially fatal due to the nature of this artery. Some of the pathologies that may affect the aorta include :

• Aneurysm where there is ballooning of a portion of the artery wall.
• Artherosclerosis where there is a hardening and narrowing of the aorta due to plaques that build up in the vessel wall.
• Coarctation where there is narrowing of a portion of the aorta.
• Dissection where the wall of the aorta tears.
• Rupture where there is a tear or rupture of the aorta, often from trauma.