Aorta

About the Aorta

The aorta is the largest artery in the body. It arises from the left ventricle at the aortic valve, rises as the ascending aorta, curves over the heart as the aortic arch, and descends through the chest as the thoracic aorta before passing through the diaphragm to become the abdominal aorta. Near the level of the navel it divides into the common iliac arteries that supply the pelvis and legs. Along the way it gives off the coronary arteries, the arteries to the head and arms, and branches to the abdominal organs and kidneys. Its wall contains abundant elastic tissue, allowing it to stretch with each heartbeat and recoil, smoothing blood flow. Major diseases include aneurysms, abnormal bulges most often in the abdominal aorta, aortic dissection, a tear in the inner wall, and atherosclerosis. Coarctation of the aorta is a congenital narrowing, and connective tissue disorders such as Marfan syndrome weaken the aortic wall.