CAMRT Radiography Practice Exam

From which side do the three arteries of the aortic arch branch off?

1. Left side

2. Right side

3. Both sides

4. The center

The correct answer is: Right side

The three arteries that branch off from the aortic arch typically do so from the right side. The aortic arch gives rise to three primary vessels: the brachiocephalic trunk (which then bifurcates into the right common carotid and right subclavian arteries), the left common carotid artery, and the left subclavian artery. While you might consider the left common carotid and left subclavian arteries to originate from the left side, the initial branching of the aortic arch itself is largely recognized as right-sided due to the brachiocephalic trunk's placement as the first branch off the arch. Thus, the correct identification of the aortic arch's branching mechanisms indicates a predominance toward the right side regarding the anatomical arrangement of these vessels.