The ascending aorta, or aorta ascend ens, along with its constituents, amounts to about five centimeters in length. It constitutes the initial division of the aorta, the largest artery in the body. It originates from the upper portion of the left ventricle of the heart at the aortic valve “on a level with the lower border of the third costal cartilage behind the left half of the sternum; 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 costal cartilage, describing a slight curve in its course, and being situated, about 6 cm. behind the posterior surface of the sternum.” (Gray” 1) It then gives rise to the right and left coronary arteries, which supply the heart muscle.
It then curves left continuing into the arch of the aorta. Originating from the aorta are the right brachio cephalic trunk, left common carotid, and left subclavian arteries. The coronary arteries, thus being, the only branches of the ascending aorta. At the entrance of the ascending aorta are three minute aortic sinuses and the Aortic Semilunar Valve, a three-cusped valve located at the base of the ascending aorta behind the sternum at the level of the third intercostal space (Grine 273).
The point at which the ascending aorta converges with the aortic arch is termed the bulb of the aorta, a swelling due to vessel incr easement on the right wall. Lying superior to the ascending aorta is the trunk of the pulmonary artery and the auricular appendage of the right atrium.
The Essay on Abdominal Aortic Aneursyms
Aneurysms were first described by the 16th century anatomist and physician Vesalius, who believed they were simply a widening of the vessel (Collin et al 2009). An abdominal aneurysm (AAA) is a condition in which the abdominal aorta (a large blood vessel that supplies blood to the abdominal, pelvis and the lower limbs) becomes large and ballooning leading to the development of several symptoms. ...
It is partitioned from the sternum by the serous pericardium, the right pleura, the anterior margin of the right lung, some loose areolar tissue, and the remains of the thymus. Posteriorly, it is propped upon the left atrium and right pulmonary artery. Lying adjacent on the right border is the superior vena cava and right atrium. Lying opposite on the left border is the pulmonary artery and pulmonary trunk (Gray” 1).
The ascending aorta is, thus, ” a hallowed and convenient division of the aorta” (“Medicine Net” 1) that supplies blood to most of the body. Works Cited Gray, Henry, web 21 Apr 2002.
Grine, Fredrick E. , Regional Human Anatomy: A Laboratory Workbook for Use with Models and Projections. New York, McGraw-Hill Companies, 2002. web 21 Apr 2002.