AORTA AND MAJOR

BRANCHES

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CONTENTS

 Anatomy of aorta
 Branches of aorta
 Sonographic appearance
 Measurements

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AORTA
 Main trunk of vessels
 Convey oxygenated blood
 Start from upper part of Lt ventricle
 After ascending
 arches backward and to Lt side
 descends within thorax
 on Lt side of vertebral column
 passes into abdominal cavity
 through aortic hiatus in diaphragm

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PORTIONS OF AORTA

 Ascending aorta
 Arch of the aorta
 Descending aorta
 Thoracic and abdominal aorta    

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ARCH OF AORTA

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 ASCENDING AORTA
(AORTA ASCENDENS)
• 5 cm in length
• Upper part of base of Lt ventricle
• Passes
• obliquely upward
• forward

• At union of ascending aorta with aortic arch

• caliber of vessel increased
• bulging of right wall
• dilatation = bulb of aorta
• transverse section = oval figure

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THE ARCH OF THE AORTA
(TRANSVERSE AORTA)
 Branches
 Innominate artery
 Right carotid artery
 Right subclavian artery
 left common carotid artery
 left subclavian artery

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AORTIC BRANCHES

 Branches of ascending aorta:

 two coronary arteries
supply the heart

Left Coronary Artery

 larger than Right Coronary Artery

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ABDOMINAL AORTA

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 T12 - Aortic hiatus in diaphragm
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L 4 – Right and left common iliac artery

SUPPLIES ARTERIAL BLOOD
TO:
• Digestive organ
• Kidneys
• Adrenals
• Gonads
• Abdominal musculature
• Paraspinal musculature
• Pelvis
• Lower limbs
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DESCENDING AORTA
 Largest artery in body
 Part of aorta
 beginning at aortic arch
 runs down through
 chest (thoracic aorta)
 Abdomen (abdominal aorta)

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LOCATION
Lies
To left of IVC
Posterior to
 coeliac artery, SMA, IMA ,left renal artery,
gonadal vessels, mesentery
Bifurcates at L4 – paired common iliac
iliacs
 External iliac artery
 Internal iliac artery

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ANATOMICAL EVALUATION
Abdominal aorta
 T12 - Aortic hiatus in diaphragm
L 4 – Right and left common iliac artery

Common iliac arteries

 diverge and run inferolaterally
 Followingmedial border of psoas muscles to
pelvic brim

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 FREQUENTLY SEEN
AORTIC BRANCHES ON US
Celiac artery
 1st major abdominal aortic branch
 Trifurcates into: hepatic, splenic, left gastric artery
T / Y shaped configuration in transverse plane

Paired renal artery

SMA
 Inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery
 Branches of the colon
 Ileal 16
branches
 Superior Mesenteric
Artery

Celiac
Trunk

Abdominal Aorta

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Sonographic appearance
 Anechoic, echo-free lumen with echogenic
walls
 Artifactual intraluminal echoes
 result from increased gain
 slice-thickness or reverberation artifacts

 types of echoes can be confused with thrombus

or intraluminal tumor

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Artifactual intraluminal
echoes

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TO CONFIRM
 Change the patient’s position
 Angulation of transducer
 Correct the gain

If these echoes disappear, most likely represent

an artifact

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Common Hepatic
Artery

Splenic Artery

SEAGULL SIGN

Aorta
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COMMON ILIAC
ARTERIES
 Left
and right (bifurcate at level
of umbilicus)
 Internal iliac artery
 Numerous branch but not seen on US

 External iliac artery

 Inferior epigastric artery
 Deep circumflex iliac artery

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 BIFURCATION

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Bifurcates into common illiac arteries.
AORTIC BIFURCATION

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