The Aorta

The aorta is the main artery that blood travels through after it leaves the left ventricle of the heart on its way to the rest of the body. The aorta travels superiorly first and is known as the ascending aorta. At the most superior point in its structure, the aorta makes a hairpin turn known as the aortic arch and continues inferiorly, thus becoming known as the descending aorta.

The aorta can be divided into sections based on which anatomical compartment in which it resides. For example, the section of the aorta that is found between the heart and the diaphragm is known as the thoracic aorta and the section of the aorta that is found in the area between the diaphragm and the aortic bifurcation is known as the abdominal aorta. At the aortic bifurcation, the aorta becomes the pair of common iliac arteries and the median sacral artery and travels inferiorly down the legs with further branching.