In the clinic
Diffuse atherosclerosis of the thoracic aorta may occur in patients with vascular disease, but this rarely produces symptoms. There are, however, two clinical situations in which aortic pathology can produce life-threatening situations.
The aorta has three fixed points of attachment: the aortic valve, the ligamentum arteriosum, and the point of passing behind the median arcuate ligament of the diaphragm to enter the abdomen.