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The aorta (/ eɪ ˈ ɔːr t ə / ay-OR-tə; pl.: aortas or aortae) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart, branching upwards immediately after, and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits at the aortic bifurcation into two smaller arteries (the common iliac arteries).
The aortic root is the portion of the aorta beginning at the aortic annulus and extending to the sinotubular junction. It is sometimes regarded as a part of the ascending aorta, [ 2 ] and sometimes regarded as a separate entity from the rest of the ascending aorta.
Abdominal aortic aneurysms are commonly divided according to their size and symptomatology. An aneurysm is usually defined as an outer aortic diameter over 3 cm (normal diameter of the aorta is around 2 cm), [43] or more than 50% of normal diameter. [44] If the outer diameter exceeds 5.5 cm, the aneurysm is considered to be large. [42]
As the left ventricle of the heart increases in size throughout life, the narrowing eventually dilates to become a normal size. If this does not occur, this can result in coarctation of the aorta . [ 14 ] [ 15 ] The ductus arteriosus connects to the final section of the arch in foetal life.
An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. [1] Typically, there are no symptoms except when the aneurysm dissects or ruptures, which causes sudden, severe pain in the abdomen and lower back. [2] [3] The etiology remains an area of active research.
The aorta normally has three small pouches that sit directly above the aortic valve (the sinuses of Valsalva), and an aneurysm of one of these sinuses is a thin-walled swelling. Aneurysms may affect the right (65–85%), non-coronary (10–30%), or rarely the left (< 5%) coronary sinus. [ 1 ]
The thoracic aorta is a continuation of the descending aorta and becomes the abdominal aorta when it passes through the diaphragm. The initial part of the aorta , the ascending aorta , rises out of the left ventricle, from which it is separated by the aortic valve .
This is thought to be due to the large size of its principal branches. At the 11th rib, the diameter is 122mm long and 55mm wide and this is because of the constant pressure. [ 2 ] The abdominal aorta is clinically divided into 2 segments: