Aorta
Takayasu arteritis affects the aorta and its branches, so pulses are weak or absent ("pulseless disease").
What our notes say
- Takayasu arteritis affects the aorta and its branches, so pulses are weak or absent ("pulseless disease"). (Paediatrics Senior Clerkship end of 2nd semester exam: 4 October 2021, 50 MCQs)
- The four are VSD, pulmonary stenosis, overriding aorta and right ventricular hypertrophy. (Paediatrics Year 4 MBChB end of semester CAT: triage, newborn care, growth and d)
- The four features are VSD, pulmonary (right ventricular outflow) stenosis, overriding aorta and right ventricular hypertrophy. (Paediatrics end of second semester exam (MBPE 4300): 4 October 2022, cardiology,)
- In a child with coarctation of the aorta, the following signs are expected EXCEPT: (Paediatrics main exam (MBPE 4300): 24 January 2022, Paper One, 100 MCQs, 2 short)
- The four features are VSD, pulmonary stenosis, overriding aorta and right ventricular hypertrophy. (Paediatrics end of 3rd trimester exam (MBPE 4300): 11 January 2022, congenital h)
- • The greater the heart is filled during diastole, the greater will the amount of blood pumped into the aorta (Cardiovascular system examination revised 2012 — Past Paper Questions & Answers)
Study material on Aorta
- Cardiovascular system examination revised 2012
- CARDIOVASCULAR PATHOLOGY
- Congenital Heart Disease
- 🫀 MISSING TOPICS — ULTRA DEEP NOTES
- CARDIOVASCULAR PATHOLOGY
- Master First-Year Anatomy: Must-Know Essays & Key Concepts
- Paediatrics end of 3rd trimester exam (MBPE 4300): 11 January 2022, congenital heart disease essay and 20 MCQs
- Heart Pathology: Comprehensive Short Notes
- Comprehensive Heart Pathology Notes 🫀
- 🫀 VALVULAR HEART DISEASE — ULTRA DEEP NOTES
- MCQ: Cardiovascular System Pathology
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Cardiovascular Pathology MCQs: Rheumatic Fever, AAA, HTN, HFpEF
Images
Practice questions on Aorta
A fetus at 18 weeks has a VSD, overriding aorta, and marked pulmonic atresia. If liveborn, what physical finding would most likely result?
- Cyanosis
- Clubbing of digits
- Continuous machine-like murmur
- Wide pulse pressure
Answer: A. This combination of defects (VSD, overriding aorta, pulmonic atresia) describes a form of Tetralogy of Fallot with atresia. With marked pulmonic atresia, pulmonary blood flow will be dependent on the VSD and patent ductus arteriosus, leading to significant cyanosis if not corrected.
A 5-year-old child fatigues easily. On examination a machinery-like murmur is auscultated over his chest. Echocardiography shows shunting of blood from the aorta to the pulmonary artery. An abnormality involving which of the following persistent embryologic structures is most likely present in this boy?
- Ductus arteriosus
- Endocardial cushion
- Sinus venosus
- Third aortic arch
- Truncus arteriosus
Answer: A. The ductus arteriosus is normally open in fetal life to provide a shunt of blood from the pulmonary circulation to the systemic circulation. It should close soon after birth. If it does not close, there is a left-to-right shunt. ---
An autopsy study reveals that evidence for atheroma formation can begin even in children. The gross appearances of the aortas are recorded and compared with microscopic findings of atheroma formation. Which of the following is most likely to be the first visible gross evidence for the formation of an atheroma?
- Thrombus
- Fatty streak
- Calcification
- Hemorrhage
- Exudate F. Ulceration
Answer: B. A fatty streak on the arterial intimal surface is the first grossly visible sign of atheroma formation. It is benign and reversible, but it may be the precursor to more severe plaques. ---
35-year-old male, Marfan syndrome, aortic dissection ascending aorta to iliacs. Which layer does the dissection plane travel through?
- Within the adventitia
- Within the outer third of the media
- Between the media and adventitia
- Through the full thickness of the aortic wall
- Between the intima and media (subintimal)
Answer: B. - Marfan-associated dissection results from **cystic medial degeneration** (loss of elastin/smooth muscle, mucoid pools) - The dissection plane classically splits within the **outer third of the media** ---
5-year-old boy, cyanosis worse with exertion, improves with squatting; VSD + overriding aorta + RVOT obstruction + RVH. Diagnosis, and what determines cyanosis severity?
- Eisenmenger syndrome — determined by pulmonary vascular resistance
- Truncus arteriosus — determined by pulmonary blood flow
- Transposition of great vessels — determined by size of the ASD
- Tricuspid atresia — determined by size of the VSD
- Tetralogy of Fallot — determined by degree of right ventricular outflow obstruction
Answer: E. - Classic **Tetralogy of Fallot** (VSD + overriding aorta + RVOT obstruction + RVH) - Degree of cyanosis correlates with **severity of RVOT/pulmonic obstruction** — worse obstruction → more right-to-left shunting across the VSD ---
A fetus at 18 weeks has a VSD, overriding aorta, and marked pulmonic atresia. If liveborn, what physical finding would most likely result?
- Cyanosis
- Heart murmur
- Pulmonary edema
- Hepatomegaly
Answer: A. This describes a severe complex congenital heart defect, often referred to as a form of truncus arteriosus or a severe form of Tetralogy of Fallot with atresia. The lack of a functional pulmonary outflow tract and the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood would lead to significant cyanosis (bluish discoloration).