Aorta

The aorta is the main  The aorta is the main  arteryof the body from which all others derive. It marks the beginning of the general or systemic circulation – as distinct from the pulmonary circulation. The aorta arises from the summit of the left ventricle (the main pumping chamber) of the heart, arches over the top of the heart, and descends in front of the backbone. It gives off large and small branches and finally divides to form the right and left iliac arteries in the legs.

Anatomically, the aorta is traditionally divided into the ascending aorta, the aortic arch, and the descending aorta. The short ascending portion runs up to the left of the superior . The aortic arch curves horizontally backward in front of the lower part of the trachea and over the left bronchus. The descending aorta runs down the spinal column and subdivides into the thoracic aorta, which descends within the chest, and the abdominal aorta, which descends within the abdomen.