The aorta is the largest vessel in humans. It is she who gives rise to a huge number of arteries that supply the body with blood, bringing to each organ a sufficient amount of nutrients and oxygen.
What is an aorta?
This is primarily the largest vessel that is in the human body. In the case of any pathologies associated with the aorta, a person's life is in serious danger.
It is worth noting that the aorta is an unpaired vessel. Currently, quite a lot of attention is being paid to its study. This is due to the fact that it has tremendous importance, because it is on it that it is constantly and at the same time very heavy.
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 upstream department
The starting point of the largest human vessel can be considered the aortic valve. It does not allow the blood flowing from the heart to return back, thereby violating hemodynamics. The ascending aorta is rather short and of relatively little interest.
About the aortic arch
It is in him that the ascending section passes. In turn, the aortic arch is not the end of the largest vessel. The fact is that she goes into his descending department. The aortic arch is the upward convex part of the vessel. Throughout this department, 3 large arteries depart from the main trunk. We are talking about the brachiocephalic trunk, the left common carotid and left subclavian arteries. In the future, the brachiocephalic trunk, in turn, is divided into 2 large vessels - the right common carotid and right subclavian arteries. It is thanks to the aortic arch that blood supply to the upper body is provided.
Descending aorta
It consists of two main parts - thoracic and lumbar. The first of them begins immediately after the aortic arch. Often a very serious impact is exerted on this site. 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. Subsequently, it passes to the level of the 4th lumbar vertebra, where it bifurcates to the right and left common iliac arteries, which are responsible for the blood supply to both lower extremities.
At the level of bifurcation, another vessel departs from the aorta, which is formally considered to be its direct continuation. We are talking about the median sacral artery. It passes along the front surface of the sacrum.
The value of the aorta
The importance of the largest vessel in the human body is difficult to overestimate. The fact is that it is he who is the basis of a large circle of blood circulation. It is thanks to her that the blood supply to all organs and tissues is provided.
Pathology of the aorta
Currently, all diseases of the largest vessel are divided into two large groups:
Regardless of the etiology of aortic diseases, they all pose the most immediate danger to human life.
Congenital ailments
All these diseases are very dangerous and in the vast majority of cases require serious surgical intervention. Among the main ailments, aortic cortation and Marfan syndrome should be noted.
Aortic cortation is an extremely dangerous congenital disease. It can be suspected by the uneven development of the upper and lower half of the body. In the event that a person has aortic coortion, the muscles of the upper extremities develop normally, and hypotrophy is observed below. In this case, the patient may complain of weakness and pain in the lower extremities, especially after physical exertion.
As for Marfan's syndrome, the cause of death in this disease is mainly just the pathology of the development of the aorta. 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 Marfan syndrome is weakened and is able to withstand a much lower load than under normal conditions.
Acquired pathology
The aorta is a very important and often enough affected part of the body. The most common 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 ruptures of the aortic wall, it is almost the most dangerous condition in medicine. Most often, people who have a similar pathology cannot be saved. The fact is that rupture of the largest vessel in the body is accompanied by severe hemorrhage. As a result, a person needs emergency surgical treatment. A small chance to save a patient with this pathology is available only if he is already in a medical institution, and better in a specialized one.
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 pathology of the aorta is its aneurysm. Among other things, it can also lead to rupture of the vessel wall. The essence of the aneurysm is that under constant pressure of blood flows one of the sections of the aorta can expand like a bag. Most often, such a pathology occurs where the vessel wall is at least slightly weakened. The usual localization for such changes is the aortic arch and its abdominal region. Moreover, aortic compaction usually does not manifest itself clinically. In addition to the risk of rupture of the vessel wall, a serious danger is also caused by an increased risk of blood clots. If it forms and begins its movement along the bloodstream, this can lead to the most deplorable consequences for humans.
Diagnosis of aortic diseases
Currently, there are several methods for diagnosing a pathology that affects the largest of the vessels existing in humans. The main ones are:
- echocardiography (transthoracic and transesophageal);
- Magnetic resonance imaging;
- angiography.
Echocardiography is the simplest of the above methods. Its essence is to use for the diagnosis of an apparatus that emits and picks up propagated ultrasonic waves. Most often, a transthoracic technique is used for research. In this case, the sensor, lubricated with a special gel, is moved along the chest of the patient. Transesophageal examination is a more complex technique and is used much less frequently.
Magnetic resonance imaging is a very modern and informative, but at the same time quite expensive method for diagnosing aortic pathology. Thanks to him, it is possible to visualize each section of the aorta from different angles. This allows the specialist to determine the presence of even small changes on the vessel wall, including the usual aortic seal.
Angiography is also a very informative research technique. However, its use is fraught with certain risks. The fact is that the essence of the method is the introduction of radiopaque liquid into the lumen of the vessel. Sometimes it causes detrimental reactions in the human body, which can reach a very serious severity. So the aorta is a rather difficult research goal. This technique allows you to visualize blood flow through the vessels. As a result, the doctor conducting the study will see all sections of the aorta, the places of their narrowing and expansion, as well as other deviations from the norm.