Aortic arch

Looks like

The curve of the aorta that loops up behind the breastbone and turns backwards over the left lung root.

What it does

Gives off the three arteries to the head and arms and turns the flow downward.

Keeping it well

Pressure sensors in its wall help control blood pressure. It is a common site for narrowing at birth (coarctation), where the legs' pulses are weak and the arms' pressure high; high blood pressure in a child or young adult is checked for it.

Related conditions

• Aortic aneurysm
• Aortic dissection
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Hypothermia & frostbite
• Kawasaki disease
• Marfan syndrome & connective tissue disorders
• Metabolic syndrome
• Orthostatic hypotension & POTS
• Peripheral artery disease
• Phaeochromocytoma & hyperaldosteronism
• Pre-eclampsia
• Raynaud's phenomenon
• Sepsis
• Shock (circulatory failure)
• Takayasu arteritis
• Turner syndrome
• Vasculitis (GCA & others)