What is the Difference Between Aorta and Vena Cava?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The aorta and vena cava are two main types of blood vessels attached to the heart, and they have distinct functions and structures:
- Function: The aorta carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body, while the vena cava carries deoxygenated blood from the body back to the heart.
- Structure: The aorta is the largest artery in the body, with a thicker wall compared to the vena cava, which has a thinner wall. The vena cava is the largest vein in the body.
- Orientation of Elastin and Collagen: In the vena cava, elastin fibers show an obvious longitudinal orientation, whereas medial and adventitial collagen fibers are predominantly circumferential. In contrast, the aorta has a more complex structure with varying orientations of elastin and collagen.
- Wall Thickness: The aorta has a significantly thicker wall (1.32 ± 0.09 mm) compared to the vena cava (0.83 ± 0.06 mm).
- Content of Elastin and Collagen: The aorta has significantly less collagen (35.78 ± 7.92 μg/mg) but more elastin (22.39 ± 1.06 μg/mg) than the vena cava, which has significantly more collagen (83.96 ± 7.92 μg/mg) than elastin.
- Mechanical Properties: The aorta and vena cava have different mechanical properties, with the aorta showing a stiffer circumference than the vena cava. Much greater anisotropy is observed in the vena cava, with its average circumference stretch being 1.06 ± 0.01 and average longitudinal stretch being 1.30 ± 0.06 at 200 kPa. In contrast, the average aorta circumference and longitudinal stretch range from 1.19 ± 0.01 to 1.22 ± 0.01 at 200 kPa.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Aorta and Vena Cava? Comparative Table: Aorta vs Vena Cava
Comparative Table: Aorta vs Vena Cava
Here is a table comparing the differences between the aorta and vena cava:
Feature | Aorta | Vena Cava |
---|---|---|
Definition | The aorta is the largest artery in the human body, carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body. | The vena cava are two large veins that bring oxygen-poor blood to the heart. |
Wall Thickness | The aorta has a thicker wall compared to the vena cava. | The vena cava has a thinner wall compared to the aorta. |
Muscularity | The aorta is more muscular than the vena cava. | The vena cava is less muscular than the aorta. |
Connection | The aorta starts from the left ventricle of the heart. | The vena cava is connected to the right atrium of the heart. |
Type of Vessel | The aorta is an artery. | The vena cava is a vein. |
Blood Type | The aorta carries oxygenated blood. | The vena cava carries deoxygenated blood. |
Read more:
- Aorta vs Artery
- Aorta vs Pulmonary Artery
- Arteries vs Veins
- Artery vs Vein
- Superior vs Inferior Vena Cava
- Pulmonary Artery vs Pulmonary Vein
- Ascending vs Descending Aorta
- Capillaries vs Veins
- Mitral Valve vs Aortic Valve
- Aortic Sclerosis vs Aortic Stenosis
- Arterial vs Venous Blood
- Aortic Dilation vs Aneurysm
- Arteries vs Arterioles
- Atria vs Ventricles
- Sinus Venosus vs Conus Arteriosus
- Vein vs Venule
- Arterial vs Venous Pulsation
- Nerve vs Vein
- Left vs Right Ventricle