Ascending aorta

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Ascending aorta
inferior vena cava and coronary sinus
Supplies	The entire body, with exception of the respiratory zone of the lung
Identifiers
Latin	aorta ascendens, pars ascendens aortae
TA98	A12.2.03.001
TA2	4176
FMA	3736
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata ]

The ascending aorta (AAo)

.

Structure

It passes obliquely upward, forward, and to the right, in the direction of the heart's axis, as high as the upper border of the second right

. The total length is about 5 centimetres (2.0 in).

Components

The aortic root is the portion of the aorta beginning at the aortic annulus and extending to the sinotubular junction. It is sometimes regarded as a part of the ascending aorta,^[2] and sometimes regarded as a separate entity from the rest of the ascending aorta.^[3]

Between each commissure of the

.

The sinotubular junction is the point in the ascending aorta where the aortic sinuses end and the aorta becomes a tubular structure.

Size

A

Relations

At the union of the ascending aorta with the aortic arch the caliber of the vessel is increased, owing to a bulging of its right wall.

This dilatation is termed the bulb of the aorta, and on transverse section presents a somewhat oval figure.

The ascending aorta is contained within the pericardium, and is enclosed in a tube of the serous pericardium, common to it and the pulmonary artery.

The ascending aorta is covered at its commencement by the trunk of the

, and, higher up, is separated from the sternum by the pericardium, the right pleura, the anterior margin of the right lung, some loose areolar tissue, and the remains of the thymus; posteriorly, it rests upon the left atrium and right pulmonary artery.

On the right side, it is in relation with the

, the former lying partly behind it; on the left side, with the pulmonary artery.

Branches

The only branches of the ascending aorta are the two

.

Clinical significance

Porcelain aorta is extensive

The ascending aorta segment is of significant due to its susceptibility to aortic dissection, two times more than in the descending aorta. Early detection of dissection is critical because it allows for prompt intervention to prevent potentially life-threatening complications.^[7]

Diagnostics

Diagnostic methods such as

, are used in the detection of pathology and evaluation of ascending aorta.

Images

• 
  Front view of heart and lungs.
• 
  The arch of the aorta, and its branches.
• 
  Fetal ascending aorta
• 
  Ascending aorta
• 
  Ascending aorta
• 
  Ascending aorta
• 
  Ascending aorta
• 
  Ascending aorta
• 
  Ascending aorta
• 
  Ascending aorta

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 545 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

External links