The aorta is the largest and main artery in the human body; it carries oxygenated blood from the heart to all organs in the body. It begins after the left ventricle of the heart (separated by the aortic valve) and can be divided didactically into:

1-Ascending Thoracic Aorta
2-Aortic Arch
3-Descending Thoracic Aorta
4-Abdominal Aorta

The most common diseases of the aorta are aneurysm , dissection , and rupture .
The main risk factors for the development of these aortic diseases are atherosclerosis , systemic arterial hypertension , age , smoking , diabetes , family history and Marfan syndrome .

Aortic aneurysm
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An aortic aneurysm is a pathological dilation of the aorta. Most patients are asymptomatic, but symptoms may occur due to compression of adjacent structures or due to mechanical consequences of the dilation itself.

The most feared complications are rupture or dissection, but there are other risks such as the development of aortic insufficiency or thromboembolism.

Depending on the size and location, clinical monitoring may be recommended, with measures aimed at delaying the progression of the disease (e.g. antihypertensive medication) or definitive treatment (placement of endoprostheses via the femoral artery or open aortic surgery).
Aortic dissection
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The wall of the aorta has three layers: adventitia, media and intima. The intima is the only layer that comes into contact with blood. When blood penetrates between the intima and media, dissection occurs.
Dissection is a medical emergency that can progress rapidly, leading to rupture of the aorta or obstruction of the vessels that leave the aorta.
It is, therefore, a serious disease with high mortality and morbidity rates, sometimes requiring emergency surgery and/or close monitoring in Intensive Care Units.
Aortic rupture
It is a very serious condition that leads to internal bleeding, putting the patient’s life at risk.

It usually occurs due to previous dilation or progression of a dissection.
If not treated surgically within a few hours, it almost always inevitably leads to death.
Aortic surgery
In aortic surgery, the cardiac surgeon needs to open the artery; this requires replacing the functioning of the heart and aorta during surgery with a machine, the cardiopulmonary bypass machine. At the end of the repair, the aorta is closed and its normal functioning is resumed without the help of the cardiopulmonary bypass machine.

Surgical treatment involves removing or replacing the diseased portion of the aorta with a synthetic tube, most commonly Dacron.

In cases of aortic root and ascending aorta disease, the Bentall procedure may be chosen , which involves placing a synthetic tube in combination with a prosthetic valve. In this case, it is necessary to re-implant the coronary arteries into the tube in order to restore coronary circulation.

The benefits of aortic surgery include:
Be lifesaving
Control of symptoms related to aortic disease
Improved survival