Skip to main content

Imaging Diseases of the Aorta

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Atlas of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography
  • 1211 Accesses

Abstract

The aorta (from Medieval Latin, Greek aorté, the great artery; literally, “I lift, carry, rise”) is the largest artery in the body, originating from the heart, extending down through the abdomen, and terminating at the bifurcation of the iliacs. It can be divided into the thoracic aorta, above the diaphragm, and the abdominal aorta, below the diaphragm. The thoracic segment is further divided into the ascending aorta (including the arch) and the descending aorta. The abdominal aorta, although usually described from the diaphragm to the iliacs, can be divided into the visceral or renal aorta and the infrarenal aorta (Figs. 11.1 and 11.2).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Weintraub NL. Understanding abdominal aortic aneurysm. N Engl J Med. 2009;361:1114–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Lederle FA, Johnson GR, Wilson SE, Chute EP, Hye RJ, Makaroun MS, et al. The aneurysm detection and management study screening program: validation cohort and final results. Aneurysm Detection and Management Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Investigators. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:1425–30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Wilmink TB, Quick CR, Day NE. The association between cigarette smoking and abdominal aortic aneurysms. J Vasc Surg. 1999;30:1099–105.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. van Vlijmen-van Keulen CJ, Pals F, Rauwerda JA. Familial abdominal aortic aneurysm: a systematic review of a genetic background. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2002;24:105–16.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Chaikof EL, Brewster DC, Dalman RL, Makaroun MS, Illig KA, Sicard GA, et al. SVS practice guidelines for the care of patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm: executive summary. J Vasc Surg. 2009;50:880–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Baxter BT, Terrin MC, Dalman RL. Medical management of small abdominal aortic aneurysms. Circulation. 2008;117:1883–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. LaRoy LL, Cormier PJ, Matalon TAS, Patel SK, Turner DA, Silver B. Imaging of abdominal aortic aneurysms. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1989;152:785–92.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Ashton HA, Buxton MJ, Day NE, Kim LG, Marteau TM, Scott RA, et al. The multicentre aneurysm screening study (MASS) into the effect of abdominal aortic aneurysm screening on mortality in men: a randomized controlled trial. Lancet. 2002;360:1531–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Scott RA, Bridgewater SG, Ashton HA. Randomized clinical trial of screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm in women. Br J Surg. 2002;89:283–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Fillinger MF, Marra SP, Raghavan ML, Kennedy FE. Prediction of rupture risk in abdominal aortic aneurysm during observation: wall stress versus diameter. J Vasc Surg. 2003;37:724–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Cronenwett JL, Davis JT Jr, Gooch JB, Garrett HE. Aortoiliac occlusive disease in women. Surgery. 1980;88:775–84.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Hiratzka LF, Bakris GL, Beckman JA, Bersin RM, Carr VF, Casey DE Jr, et al. 2010 ACCF/AHA/AATS/ACR/ASA/SCA/SCAI/SIR/STS/SVM Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of patients with thoracic aortic disease: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation, American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, American College of Radiology, American Stroke Association, Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Society of Interventional Radiology, Society of Interventional Radiology, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and Society for Vascular Medicine. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2010;55:14 e27–129.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Johnston KW, Rutherford RB, Tilson MD, et al. Suggested standards for reporting on arterial aneurysms. Subcommittee on reporting standards for arterial aneurysms, Ad Hoc committee on reporting standards, Society for Vascular Surgery and North American Chapter, International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery. J Vasc Surg. 1991;13:452–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Segura AM, Luna RE, Horiba K, Stetler-Stevenson WG, McAllister HA Jr, Willerson JT, Ferrans VJ. Immunohistochemistry of matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in thoracic aortic aneurysms and aortic valves of patients with Marfan’s syndrome. Circulation. 1998;98:II331–7.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. LeMaire SA, Wang X, Wilks JA, Carter SA, Wen S, Won T, et al. Matrix metalloproteinases in ascending aortic aneurysms: bicuspid versus trileaflet aortic valves. J Surg Res. 2005;123:40–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Fedak PW, de Sa MP, Verma S, Nili N, Kazemian P, Butany J, et al. Vascular matrix remodeling in patients with bicuspid aortic valve malformations: implications for aortic dilatation. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2003;126:797–806.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Ikonomidis JS, Jones JA, Barbour JR, Stroud RE, Clark LL, Kaplan BS, et al. Expression of matrix metalloproteinases and endogenous inhibitors within ascending aortic aneurysms of patients with bicuspid or tricuspid aortic valves. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2007;133:1028–36.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Masuda Y, Takanashi K, Takasu J, Morooka M, Inagaki Y. Expansion rate of thoracic aortic aneurysms and influencing factors. Chest. 1992;102:461–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Zeman RK, Berman PM, Silverman PM, Davros WJ, Cooper C, Kladakis AO, Gomes MN. Diagnosis of aortic dissection: value of helical CT with multiplanar reformation and three-dimensional rendering. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1995;164:1375–80.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Shiga T, Wajima Z, Apfel CC, Inoue T, Ohe Y. Diagnostic accuracy of transesophageal echocardiography, helical computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging for suspected thoracic aortic dissection: systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1350–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Sommer T, Fehske W, Holzknecht N, Smekal AV, Keller E, Lutterbey G, et al. Aortic dissection: a comparative study of diagnosis with spiral CT, multiplanar transesophageal echocardiography, and MR imaging. Radiology. 1996;199:vv347–52.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Brenner DJ, Hall EJ. Computed tomography: an increasing source of radiation exposure. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:2277–84.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter S. Fail .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Fail, P.S. (2018). Imaging Diseases of the Aorta. In: Budoff, M., Achenbach, S., Hecht, H., Narula, J. (eds) Atlas of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-7357-1_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-7357-1_11

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-7356-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-7357-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics