7/2/25 Posterior abdominal wall

Question 1

What classifies “intraperitonel organs”?

Answer 1

Anything with a mesentery. Develops and stays within the peritoneum

Question 2

What classifies “primarily retroperitoneal organs”?

Answer 2

Never had a mesentery and never will. Develops posterior to the peritoneum and is NOT a GI organ

Question 3

What classifies “secondarily retroperitoneal organs”?

Answer 3

Develops a mesentery and then loses it. Develops within the peritoneum, but then moves to the posterior abdominal wall and fuses to it. GI organs

Question 4

Examples of intraperitoneal organs

Answer 4

Small intestine

Question 5

Examples of primarily retroperitoneal organs

Answer 5

Kidneys, gonads (testes, ovaries)

Question 6

Examples of secondarily retroperitoneal organs

Answer 6

Ascending and descending colon, duodenum, pancreas

Question 7

True or False: Part of the kidney is protected by the rib cage

Answer 7

True. This is why we want to avoid the upper part of the kidneys when they are being biopsied

Question 8

Which kidney is positioned lower? Why?

Answer 8

The right is lower due to the liver

Question 9

What is the outer layer of the kidney?

Answer 9

Renal capsule

Question 10

What does the renal fascia do?

Answer 10

Divides the surrounding fat of the kidney. Deepest fat layer is the perirenal fat, most superficial layer of fat is the pararenal fat

Question 11

Where is the paravertebral gutter located and what is it lined with?

Answer 11

Superficial to the pararenal fat. Lined with transversalis fascia

Question 12

What type of fat is perirenal and pararenal fat?

Answer 12

Visceral fat (metabolically active)

Question 13

Renal hilum structures anterior to posterior

Answer 13

Renal vein, artery, ureter

Question 14

What structure of the kidney is just deep to the renal capsule?

Answer 14

Renal cortex

Question 15

What structure is just deep the renal cortex that contains the columns and pyramids?

Answer 15

Renal medulla

Question 16

How many renal pyramids are there per kidney?

Answer 16

8-10

Question 17

What is the apex of the renal pyramid called?

Answer 17

Renal papilla

Question 18

The _____ _____ drains one pyramid.

Answer 18

Minor calyx

Question 19

The _____ _____ drains >1 pyramid.

Answer 19

Major calyx

Question 20

Where do the renal calyx drain into?

Answer 20

Renal pelvis –> ureter

Question 21

What is the fat filled space of the kidney that contains contains the collecting system (in the center of the kidney)?

Answer 21

Renal sinus

Question 22

What are the 2 major arteries that supply the kidneys? What are they branches of?

Answer 22

Left and right renal artery, branches of aorta

Question 23

True or False: Renal arteries are paired

Answer 23

True

Question 24

What % of the blood supply from the aorta do the kidneys recieve?

Answer 24

25%

Question 25

Where are the renal artery branches on the aorta located?

Answer 25

Near the level of the SMA

Question 26

Where do kidneys develop? Where do they ascent to?

Answer 26

Develop in pelvis, ascend to the posterior abdominal wall

Question 27

What are additional renal arteries that are located at the inferior pole of the kidney called?

Answer 27

Polar arteries

Question 28

What are polar arteries remnants of?

Answer 28

The ascent of the kidney from the pelvis to the posterior abdominal wall

Question 29

Branches of the renal artery

Answer 29

Lobar --> interlobar --> arcuate —> interlobular

Question 30

True or False: There is collateral circulation between the lobar arteries

Answer 30

False

Question 31

If there is an occlusion of a lobar artery, what will happed to the pyramid (s) and cortical tissue associated with that artery?

Answer 31

Ischemia of the tissue

Question 32

What is the blood supply to the adrenal glands?

Answer 32

Superior adrenal artery Middle adrenal artery Inferior adrenal artery

Question 33

What is the superior adrenal artery a branch of?

Answer 33

Inferior phrenic artery

Question 34

What is the middle adrenal artery a branch of?

Answer 34

Direct branch off aorta

Question 35

What is the inferior adrenal artery a branch of?

Answer 35

Renal artery

Question 36

Where do the L and R renal veins drain into?

Answer 36

IVC

Question 37

What renal vein has to cross the midline/aorta to drain into the IVC?

Answer 37

Left renal vein. This is because the IVC is positioned more on the right side of the posterior body wall and is not directly midline

Question 38

Where do the left adrenal and gonadal veins have to drain into before their blood is carried to the IVC?

Answer 38

Left renal vein

Question 39

Where does the left renal vein travel on its way to the IVC?

Answer 39

Between the SMA and abdominal aorta

Question 40

What happens if the left renal vein is compressed on the SMA?

Answer 40

Nutcracker syndrome (hematuria, L flank pain, left testicular pain (m), compressed ureter (f)

Question 41

Where are preganglionic sympathetic cell bodies located?

Answer 41

In the lateral horns of T1-L2

Question 42

In the abdomen, where are the postganglionic cell bodies located?

Answer 42

In the collateral ganglia in the preaortic plexuses

Question 43

What are the names of the collateral ganglia in the preaortic plexuses?

Answer 43

Celiac ganglion Superior mesenteric ganglion Inferior mesenteric ganglion

Question 44

Where do all preganglionic parasympathetic fibers to the foregut and midgut come from?

Answer 44

The vagus nerve

Question 45

Where do the preganglionic parasympathetic axons synapse?

Answer 45

On postganglionic cell bodies in the terminal ganglia in the walls of organs

Question 46

True or False: The vagus innervates the hindgut and pelvic organs

Answer 46

False

Question 47

Where are the preganglioninc parasympathetic cell bodies located in the spinal cord region?

Answer 47

Lateral horns of S2-S4

Question 48

Preganglionic parasympathetic axons branch from S2-S4 from ventral rami as what type of splanchnic nerve?

Answer 48

Pelvic splanchnic nerves

Question 49

What organs do the pelvic splanchnic nerves travel to?

Answer 49

Hindgut (rectum, sigmoid colon) Pelvic organs (genitals, bladder)

Question 50

Where do the pelvic splanchnic nerves travel to?

Answer 50

The inferior hypogastric plexus --> then travel superiorly through hypogastric nerve to the superior hypogastric plexus

Question 51

True or False: Parasympathetics to the hindgut follow the blood vessels to the hindgut organs.

Answer 51

True!!

Question 52

Blood supply to foregut

Answer 52

Celiac trunk

Question 53

Blood supply to midgut

Answer 53

SMA

Question 54

Blood supply to hindgut

Answer 54

IMA

Question 55

Sympathetics to foregut

Answer 55

Thoracic splanchnic

Question 56

Sympathetics to midgut

Answer 56

Thoracic splanchnic

Question 57

Sympathetics to hindgut

Answer 57

Lumbar splanchnic

Question 58

Parasympathetics to foregut

Answer 58

Vagus nerve

Question 59

Parasympathetics to midgut

Answer 59

Vagus nerve

Question 60

Parasympathetics to hindgut

Answer 60

Pelvic splanchnic

Question 61

Branches of the abdominal aorta from superior to inferior...paired or unpaired(*)

Answer 61

Inferior phrenic Middle suprarenal Celiac trunk (*) SMA (*) Renal Gonadal IMA (*) Lumbar

Question 62

What are the muscles of the posterior abdominal wall?

Answer 62

Thoracolumbar diaphragm Transversus abdominis Quadratus lumborum Psoas major Psoas minor (not in everyone)

Question 63

What is the vena caval foramen for? Where is it located in the thoracolumbar diaphragm?

Answer 63

IVC, T8

Question 64

What is the esophageal hiatus for? Where is it located?

Answer 64

For the esophagus and vagal trunks. T10

Question 65

What is the aortic hiatus for? Where is it located?

Answer 65

For the aorta and thoracic duct (behind the diaphragm). T12

Question 66

Besides the aorta and thoracic duct, what else runs posterior to the diaphragm?

Answer 66

Sympathetic trunk Thoracic Splanchnics