Aortic hiatus

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Description:

The aortic hiatus is the passageway in the diaphragm that transmits the aorta from the thoracic cavity to the abdominal cavity. As the right and left crus of the diaphragm arch medially from their attachment on the lateral aspect of the lumbar vertebral bodies, they form a tendinous arch, the median arcuate ligament, as they pass anterior to the aorta. The aortic hiatus is the opening behind this ligament.