Which statement about the abdominal aorta is correct?

• A. The abdominal aorta gives off renal arteries, hepatic artery, ovarian/testicular arteries, coeliac artery, and mesenteric arteries.
• B. The abdominal aorta terminates in the common iliac arteries.
• C. The aorta terminates and divides into the internal and external iliac arteries.
• D. The abdominal aorta supplies the brain directly via cerebral arteries.

Answer: (A)

The abdominal aorta is the main trunk that supplies the abdomen and pelvis by giving off several large visceral branches. It directly gives rise to the celiac trunk (which then branches into arteries including the hepatic artery), the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries, and the renal and gonadal arteries. So the hepatic artery is ultimately supplied by the abdominal aorta via the celiac trunk, making the statement accurate about the abdominal aorta’s distribution. In contrast, the aorta does not terminate directly into the internal and external iliac arteries (that division occurs at the level of the common iliac arteries), and the brain receives its blood through carotid and vertebral arterial systems that originate from the aortic arch, not directly from the abdominal aorta.