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Multiple Choice

What two parts of the aorta are connected by the aortic arch?

The aortic arch acts as the bridge between the part of the aorta that rises from the heart and the part that travels downward. It connects the ascending aorta, which starts at the aortic valve, to the descending (thoracic) aorta that continues through the chest and into the abdomen. The coronary arteries arise from the ascending aorta just above the valve, not from the arch, and the pulmonary trunk is part of the pulmonary circuit. So the two parts connected by the aortic arch are the ascending and descending aorta.

The aortic arch acts as the bridge between the part of the aorta that rises from the heart and the part that travels downward. It connects the ascending aorta, which starts at the aortic valve, to the descending (thoracic) aorta that continues through the chest and into the abdomen. The coronary arteries arise from the ascending aorta just above the valve, not from the arch, and the pulmonary trunk is part of the pulmonary circuit. So the two parts connected by the aortic arch are the ascending and descending aorta.