Where is the aorta located?

The Aorta is the largest artery in the body and it is located at the top of the heart.

It ascends (rises up) out of the top of the heart and descends posterior to (behind) the heart. The descending aorta follows close to the anterior (front of the) spinal column. At about the level of the umbilicus (navel), the aorta bifurcates (divides) into the right and left common iliac arteries. The aorta carries all of the oxygenated blood from the heart for the entire body. Only the lungs are not fed from the aorta.

The general parts of the aorta are:

• The ascending aorta, which starts at the aortic valve in the heart ascends to the arch
• The aortic arch, the upper most part where the aorta begins to turn downward
• The descending thoracic aorta, which passes through the area protected by ribs
• The descending abdominal aorta, which starts after the lowest rib and ends at the common iliac arteries