The aorta is ... Aorta heart. Aortic consolidation

The aorta is the largest vessel of man. It is she who gives rise to a huge number of arteries that supply blood to the body, bringing to each organ a sufficient amount of nutrients and oxygen.

What is the aorta?

This is primarily the largest vessel that exists in the human body. In the case of any pathologies associated with the aorta, a person's life is threatened by a grave danger.

It is worth noting that the aorta is an unpaired vessel. Currently, much attention is paid to its study. This is due to the fact that it has tremendous importance, because it turns out to be a constant and very heavy workload.

Individual parts of the aorta

As noted earlier, this vessel is the largest in the human body. It is not surprising that doctors decided to conditionally divide it into parts. As a result, the aorta of the heart is divided into 3 main departments:

• Ascending;
• aortic arch;
• Downward.

About the ascending department

The starting point of the largest human vessel is the aortic valve. He does not allow blood from the heart to come back, thereby violating hemodynamics. The ascending aorta is relatively short and of relatively little interest.

About the arch of the aorta

It is in it goes upward department. In turn, the aortic arch is not the end of the largest vessel. The fact is that it goes into its downward department. The aortic arch represents the upwardly convex part of the vessel. During this department, 3 large arteries leave the main trunk. This refers to the brachiocephalic trunk, the left common carotid and left subclavian arteries. Subsequently, the brachiocephalic trunk, in turn, is divided into 2 large vessels - the right common carotid and right subclavian artery. It is thanks to the aortic arch that the blood supply of the upper part of the trunk is carried out.

Descending aorta

It consists of two main parts - thoracic and lumbar. The first of these begins immediately after the arch of the aorta. Often, this site is very serious impact. This is due to the turbulence of the blood flow that occurs after passing the ascending section and the aortic arch.

This part begins at the level of 3-4 thoracic vertebrae. Later it passes to the level of the 4th lumbar vertebra, where its bifurcation occurs on the right and left common iliac arteries, which are responsible for the blood supply of both lower extremities.

At the level of bifurcation from the aorta, another vessel also leaves, which is formally considered to be its immediate continuation. This is a median sacral artery. It runs along the front surface of the sacrum.

Aortic value

The importance of the largest in the human body of the vessel is difficult to overestimate. The fact is that it is the basis of a large circle of blood circulation. It is thanks to her blood supply to all organs and tissues.

Pathology of the aorta

Currently, all diseases of the largest vessel are divided into two large groups:

• Congenital;
• Acquired.

Regardless of the etiology of aortic disease, they all represent the most immediate danger to human life.

Congenital ailments

All these diseases are very dangerous and in the overwhelming majority of cases require serious surgical intervention. Among the main ailments should be noted aortic co -ortion and Marfan syndrome.

Aortic coortion is an extremely dangerous congenital disease. It can be suspected of uneven development of the upper and lower half of the trunk. In the event that a person has aortic coortion, the muscles of the upper limbs develop normally, and hypotrophy is observed below. In this case, the patient can make complaints about weakness and soreness in the lower extremities, especially after physical exertion.

As for the Marfan syndrome, the cause of death in this disease is basically the pathology of the aorta development. Most often it is the stratification of the wall of the largest vessel in the body. The increased risk of this particular pathology is due to the fact that the aortic wall in the Marfan syndrome is weakened and is able to withstand much less stress than under normal conditions.

Acquired pathology

The aorta is a very important and often affected body department. The most frequent problems with the aorta that arise not as a result of intrauterine development, but in the process of life, are all kinds of aneurysms and ruptures.

As for the ruptures of the aortic wall, it is almost the most dangerous condition in medicine. Most often, people who have a similar pathology, can not be saved. The fact is that the rupture of the largest vessel in the body is accompanied by a serious hemorrhage. As a result, a person needs urgent surgical treatment. A small chance to save a patient with this pathology is available only if he is already in a medical facility, and better - in the profile.

The most common cause of aortic rupture is a significant decrease in the elasticity of its wall, which is observed against the background of the deposition of calcium salts on it.

Another serious aortic pathology is its aneurysm. Among other things, it is also capable of leading to rupture of the vessel wall. The essence of an aneurysm lies in the fact that under constant pressure of blood flows one of the aortic sections can expand in a bag-like fashion. Most often, such a pathology occurs where the wall of the vessel is at least slightly weakened. The usual localization for such changes is the arch of the aorta and its abdominal region. In this case, the compaction of the aorta is not usually clinically evident. In addition to the risk of rupture of the vessel wall, the risk of formation of thrombi also causes a serious danger. If it is formed and begins its movement along the bloodstream, this can lead to the most disastrous consequences for a person.

Diagnosis of aortic disease

Currently, there are several ways to diagnose pathology, which affects the largest of the existing vessels in humans. The main among them are:

• Echocardiography (transthoracic and transesophageal);
• Magnetic resonance imaging;
• angiography.

Echocardiography is the simplest of the methods listed above. Its essence lies in the use for diagnostics of the apparatus that emits and captures the reflected ultrasonic waves. Most often, transthoracic technique is used for research. In this case, the sensor, lubricated with a special gel, moves along the patient's chest. Transseophageal research is a more complex technique and is used less frequently.

Magnetic resonance imaging is a very modern and informative, but at the same time rather expensive method of diagnosing aortic pathology. Thanks to him, he can visualize each aortic site from different angles. This allows the specialist to determine the presence of even small changes in the vessel wall, including the usual compaction of the aorta.

Angiography is also a very informative research technique. At the same time, its use entails certain risks. The point is that the essence of the method consists in introducing an X-ray contrast liquid into the lumen of the vessel. Sometimes it causes in the human body harmful reactions, which can reach a very serious severity. So the aorta is a rather difficult goal of the study. This technique allows you to visualize the flow of blood through the vessels. As a result, the doctor conducting the study will see all the departments of the aorta, the sites of their constrictions and extensions, as well as other abnormalities.