Aortic arch
| Artery: Arch of aorta, aortic arch | |
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| The thoracic aorta with its major branches. Note the large vessels sprouting from the arch | |
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| The aortic arch and its branches shown in situ. | |
| Latin | Arcus aortae |
| Gray's | subject #142 547 |
| Supplies | The entire body, with exception of the respiratory zone of the lung and the heart. |
| Source | Ascending aorta |
| Branches | Brachiocephalic trunk
Left common carotid artery Left subclavian artery Continues as descending aorta, thoracic part |
| Vein | Combination of superior and inferior vena cava |
| Precursor | Fourth left pharyngeal arch artery |
| MeSH | Aortic+Arch |
The arch of the aorta or the transverse aortic arch (English pronunciation: /eɪˈɔrtɪk/[1][2]) is the part of the aorta that begins at the level of the upper border of the second sternocostal articulation of the right side, and runs at first upward, backward, and to the left in front of the trachea; it is then directed backward on the left side of the trachea and finally passes downward on the left side of the body of the fourth thoracic vertebra, at the lower border of which it becomes continuous with the descending aorta.
It thus forms two curvatures: one with its convexity upward, the other with its convexity forward and to the left. Its upper border is usually about 2.5 cm. below the superior border to the manubrium sterni.
Coming out of the heart, the thoracic aorta has a maximum dimension of 4 cm at the root. By the time it becomes the ascending aorta, the diameter should be < 35-38 mm, and 30 mm at the arch. The descending aorta’s diameter shouldn’t exceed 25 mm. [3] [4]
The arch of the Aorta lies within the mediastinum.
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Related structures [edit]
The ligamentum arteriosum connects the commencement of the pulmonary artery to the aortic arch.[disputed ] The blood bypasses the lungs through the ductus arteriosus during embryonic circulation. This becomes the ligamentum arteriosum postnatal as pulmonary circulation begins.
The aortic knob is the prominent shadow of the aortic arch on a frontal chest radiograph.[5]
Aortopexy is a surgical procedure in which the aortic arch is fixed to the sternum in order to keep the trachea open.
Additional images [edit]
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Diagram showing the origins of the main branches of the carotid arteries.
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Front view of heart and lungs.
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Course and distribution of the glossopharyngeal, vagus, and accessory nerves.
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Heart left lateral view
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Course of the aorta (anterior view), starting anterior to the right pulmonary arteries, the trachea and the esophagus, but then turning posteriorly to course dorsally to these structures.
References [edit]
- ^ OED 2nd edition, 1989, as /eɪ'ɔ:ɹtɪk/.
- ^ Entry "aortic" in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
- ^ Acad Radiol. 2008 Jul;15(7):827-34.doi:10.1016/j.acra.2008.02.001. PMID: 18572117 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] PMCID: PMC2577848
- ^ JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2008 Mar;1(2):200-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2007.11.005. Wolak A, Gransar H, Thomson LE, Friedman JD, Hachamovitch R, Gutstein A, Shaw LJ, Polk D, Wong ND, Saouaf R, Hayes SW, Rozanski A, Slomka PJ, Germano G, Berman DS. PMID: 19356429 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- ^ wrongdiagnosis.com > Aortic knob Citing: Stedman's Medical Spellchecker, 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
This article incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy.
External links [edit]
- Right Aortic Arch Anatomy Teaching Case from MedPix
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