...aorta is the section below the diaphragm.
So I just added in the diaphragm, which separates the thoracic and abdominal parts of the aorta.
So you can see it looping over -- the ascending, the arch, the descending portion.
You've got the thoracic aorta, which is above the diaphragm and the abdominal aorta which
is below the diaphragm.
So just looking at the abdominal section of the aorta, you can see these three branches
here which are coming off it.
I've removed a lot of the arteries here because it makes it a little bit more complicated.
So I've left some of the main branches of the aorta, but I'll be covering the other
branches in tutorials on the abdominal organs.
So this top branch here is the celiac axis.
It has three branches.
It's called the common hepatic artery, the left gastric artery and the splenic artery.
The branch below is called the superior mesenteric artery and the branches below that, which
comes off the aorta is the inferior mesenteric artery.
The celiac axis supplies four gut structures, the superior mesentery artery supplies mid-gut
structures and the inferior mesenteric artery supplies hind gut structures.
So here you've got another bifurcation.
This is the bifurcation of the descending aorta.
This occurs at approximately the level of the L4 vertebra (so the fourth lumbar vertebra).
This splits into the communication iliac arteries.
You've got the right and left common iliac artery.
This then splits.
Just like carotid arties, it splits into the external and the internal iliac arteries.
So just quickly to give you some perspective on whereabouts we are in relation to other
structures, I'll just put in the bladder.
So you can see where the bladder sits in relation to the bifurcation.
You can see the kidneys.
I'll just show you in relation to surface anatomy so you can see the umbilicus.
This sits it around the level of L3-L5 vertebra.
So approximately, very close to where the aorta bifurcates.
So just going back to the external iliac arteries, which come off the common iliac, they then
become the femoral arteries at roughly the level of the head of the femur.
So you've got the femoral arteries, which run down the length of the femur on both sides.
We're now at the level of the knee.
I'm just going to rotate this model so we can look at the back of the knee.
You've got the femoral artery here running down and it becomes the popliteal artery.
This area at the back of the knee, this bit at the back of the knee is called the popliteal
fossa.
This artery is called the popliteal artery.
The popliteal artery then splits into a couple of branches.
You've got the anterior tibial artery, which branches off from the popliteal artery and
runs down the course of the tibia on the anterior aspect.
So here, we're looking at the front of the body, the anterior surface of the tibia.
At the back, so you can see here the popliteal -- let's just zoom in a bit more.
So the popliteal artery branches off and you can see it winding around here just underneath
the tibia to form the anterior tibial.
And then at the back, you've got two branches.
You've got the posterior tibial.
So the popliteal artery splits into the posterior tibial here.
The posterior tibial artery runs down the posterior surface of the tibia and you've
got the peroneal artery, which runs down laterally on the posterior surface.
So just to recap, you've got the popliteal artery, which branches off into the anterior
tibial, which winds around to the anterior surface of the tibia.
You've got the posterior tibial, which descends along the posterior surface of the tibia and
the peroneal artery.
So just moving down to the foot, you can see this arterial arch on the foot, which forms
from the anterior tibial artery.
So in the feet, you've got this artery here, which is the arcuate artery.
You've got this artery here, which is the dorsalis pedis artery.
This is important because in a vascular evaluation, you palpate this pulse.
So this pulse, if I just put in the muscular system, you'll be able to see this tendon
here, which runs up and extends the big toe.
This is the extensor hallucis longus tendon.
The dorsalis pedis artery is just lateral to the tendon of the extensor hallucis longus.
So those are the arteries of the body, some of the important ones that you need to know.
I'm just quickly going to show you some of the pulses that are palpable.
So in a vascular examination, you palpate a few pulses.
You palpate one at the neck, the carotid pulse.
You can see that this is palpable between these muscles here, the carotid artery.
At the arm, there are two pulses you palpate, one just at the elbow.
So you've got the brachial artery, which you palpate here medial to the biceps tendon.
And at the wrist, you palpate the radial artery here.
You can see the femoral artery passing through here quite superficially, so this pulse is
also palpable.
This, you can feel between the midpoint of pubic symphysis and the anterior superior
iliac spine.
So this is the femoral pulse you feel here between the pubic symphysis and the anterior
superior iliac spine.
Behind the knee, you can palpate the popliteal pulse.
So this, you can feel between the head of the gastrocnemius muscle.
And in the feet, you can palpate the posterior tibial pulse, which runs just behind the medial
malleolus of the tibia.
As I've mentioned before, you can palpate the dorsalis pedis artery, which runs lateral
to the tendon of the extensor hallucis longus.
So those are the arteries, some of the important arteries that you need to remember in the
body.