Abdominal aorta & branches

Looks like

The main artery of the belly, thumb-thick, running just left of the midline in front of the spine.

What it does

Supplies the gut, kidneys and both legs.

Keeping it well

Blood pressure control and no smoking. Men over 65 are offered a one-off scan for a widened aorta.

Its parts

• Coeliac trunk
• Superior mesenteric artery
• Inferior mesenteric artery
• Common iliac arteries
• Right inferior phrenic artery
• Left inferior phrenic artery
• Lumbar artery

Related conditions

• Acute mesenteric ischaemia (gut stroke)
• Aortic aneurysm
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Hypothermia & frostbite
• Ischaemic colitis
• Kawasaki disease
• Metabolic syndrome
• Orthostatic hypotension & POTS
• Peripheral artery disease
• Phaeochromocytoma & hyperaldosteronism
• Pre-eclampsia
• Raynaud's phenomenon
• Sepsis
• Shock (circulatory failure)
• Vasculitis (GCA & others)