Chest aorta

Chest aorta – the biggest artery in a body which bears blood from heart.

It is located in a thorax therefore call it chest.

Structure of a chest aorta

The chest aorta is located in a postmediastinum and adjoins to a rachis. It is divided into two types of branches: pristenochny and splanchnic.

Treat splanchnic branches of a chest aorta:

• Esophageal branches which in number of 3-6 are directed to a gullet wall. They branch the ascending branches anastomosing with the left ventricular artery and also descending anastomosing with the lower thyroid artery.
• Bronchial branches which in number of the 2nd and more branch with bronchial tubes. They supply with lung tissue blood. Their trailer branches approach bronchial lymph nodes, a gullet, a pericardiac bag and a pleura.
• Pericardiac сумочные or pericardiac branches which are responsible for supply of blood to a back surface of a pericardiac bag.
• Mediastinal or mediastinal branches, small and numerous which feed bodies of a mediastinum, lymph nodes and connecting fabric.

The group of pristenochny branches of a chest aorta consists from:

• Back intercostal arteries in number of 10 couples. 9 of them take place in intercostal spaces, from the 3rd to the 11th. The lower arteries lie under the twelfth edges and are called subcostal. Each of arteries is divided into a spinal branch and into a dorsal branch. Each intercostal artery at heads of edges branches on the front branch feeding direct and wide muscles of a stomach, intercostal muscles, a mammary gland, breast skin, and the back branch supplying with blood of a muscle and back skin, and also a spinal cord.
• Upper phrenic arteries of a chest aorta in number of two pieces which provide with blood an upper surface of a diaphragm.

Arteries of a chest cavity

• Aortic arch;
• Vertebral artery;
• Left and right general carotid arteries;
• The highest intercostal artery;
• Renal artery;
• Aorta;
• General hepatic artery;
• Left subclavial artery;
• Intercostal arteries;
• Upper mesenteric artery;
• Right subclavial artery;
• Lower phrenic artery;
• Left gastric artery.

The most widespread diseases of a chest aorta

Aneurism and atherosclerosis of a chest aorta belong to the most frequent diseases of a chest aorta.

Atherosclerosis of a chest aorta develops, as a rule, before other forms of atherosclerosis, but the long time can not be shown in any way. Often it develops along with atherosclerosis of coronary arteries of heart or atherosclerosis of head vessels of a brain.

The first symptoms of atherosclerosis are, as a rule, shown at the age of 60-70 years when aorta walls already substantially underwent destruction. Patients complain of the periodic arising thermalgias in a thorax (aortalgiya), on increase in systolic pressure, swallowing difficulty, dizziness.

Often less specific characters of atherosclerosis of a chest aorta is aging and emergence of a gray hair, fatty tumors on a face, a light strip on the outer edge of an iris of the eye of eyes, the strong growth of hair in ears too earlier.

One of the most dangerous complications of atherosclerosis is the aortic aneurysm.

Aneurism of a chest aorta is called the state at which its weak part sticks out or extends. Leads pressure of the blood going through an aorta to its vypiraniye.

Aneurisms constitute serious danger not only to health, but also to the patient's life as aortas can become torn that will lead to internal bleeding and a lethal outcome. Approximately to 30% of patients with a rupture of aneurism, coming to hospital, survive. For this reason the aneurysm of a chest aorta needs to treat to avoid a gap.

Approximately a half of patients with aneurism has no symptoms of a disease. Generally people show complaints to back pains and breasts, in a neck, a back and a jaw. There is a complicated breath, cough, hoarseness of a voice.

At big aneurism the aortal heart valve therefore there is heart failure can be involved in process.

Are the most common causes of developing of aneurism of a chest aorta:

• Inborn diseases of connecting fabric (Marfan's syndrome, Elersa-Danlo), cardiovascular system (aorta coarctation, heart diseases, aorta isthmus crimpiness).
• Such acquired diseases as atherosclerosis, or after operations on places of a kanyulyation of an aorta, patches of an aorta or suture lines of an anastomosis of prostheses.
• Inflammatory diseases (aorta prosthesis infection, noninfectious and infectious aortrita).