The
descending aorta is part of the
aorta, the largest
artery in the
body. The descending aorta is the part of the aorta beginning at the
aortic arch that runs down through the
chest and
abdomen. The descending aorta anatomically consists of two portions or segments, the
thoracic and the
abdominal aorta, in correspondence with the two great cavities of the trunk in which it is situated. Within the abdomen, the descending aorta branches into the two
common iliac arteries which serve the
pelvis and eventually legs.