Abdomen Sonography: Aorta and Branches - Video Lesson

Hi everyone, welcome back to the abdominal ultrasound series. Today we are going to review the anatomy, function, sonographic appearance and Doppler characteristics of the aorta and its major branches. Let's get started. The abdominal aorta is the central highway of arterial blood flow in the abdomen. It is the continuation of the thoracic aorta after it passes through the aortic hiatus of the diaphragm at approximately the T12 vertebral level. The aorta courses slightly to the left of midline, anterior to the vertebral bodies, and ends at about L4, or the level of the umbilicus, where it then bifurcates into the right and left common iliac arteries. Like other arteries, the aorta's wall is composed of three distinct layers designed to keep the artery strong yet still elastic under arterial pressures. The tunica intima is the innermost layer of the aorta made up of a thin lining of endothelial cells that rest on a layer of connective tissue.