Heart surgery. Image 7 of 9. Surgeons attaching the coronary artery (centre) of the heart to a prosthetic aorta. A section of the aorta (the largest a

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Heart surgery. Image 7 of 9. Surgeons attaching the coronary artery (centre) of the heart to a prosthetic aorta. A section of the aorta (the largest artery that leaves the heart) has been removed because the blood vessel's wall had become weakened, forming a dilation known as an aneurysm. Without surgery, an aneurysm can rupture with fatal consequences. The coronary artery branches off the aorta and divides into blood vessels covering the surface of the heart, to supply the heart muscle itself with blood. For a sequence showing the operation, see images M560/461 to M560/469.

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Photo credit: © ANTONIA REEVE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
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