Abdomen 2 Flashcards
(28 cards)
What are the accessory organs of the GIT located in the abdomen?
Liver, gallbladder, pancreas
What is the liver located just beneath?
The diaphragm (internally), the right nipple (externally)
Where does the gall bladder hang?
Below the anterior border of the liver
Where does the falciform ligament run to and from?
Highest part of liver to pronounced notch on anterior border of the liver (hepatic notch)
What are the anterior/posterior borders of the falciform ligament attached to?
Anterior: abdominal wall
Posterior: Runs free down to umbilicus
What is the ligamentum teres and where is it found?
Free (posterior) border of falciform ligament, cord-like structure; remnant of umbilical vein
What does the ligamentum teres run through?
Hepatic notch
What structures divide the anterior surface of the liver into right and left lobes?
Line of attachment of falciform ligament and hepatic notch
What relevant ligaments are superior to the liver?
Coronary and left/right triangular
Where does the lesser omentum pass to and from?
Posterior surface of the liver (porta hepatis specifically) to the lesser curve of the stomach all the way up to the diaphragm
What are the anterior and posterior surfaces of the liver properly known as?
Diaphragmatic and visceral respectively
What is the porta hepatis and where is it located?
-Where the portal vein and hepatic artery enter the liver and the hepatic ducts leave it (remember that the liver has a dual blood supply). Also where the lesser omentum passes from
- Located superior to the gallbladder at the posterior/visceral surface of the liver
Describe the vertical groove of the liver
Visceral surface of liver, divides it into right/left (4 lobes in total), ends at hepatic notch, lower part formed by ligamentum teres, upper part formed by ligamentum venosum
What are the 4 lobes of the visceral aspect of the liver?
Left of vertical groove: Left lobe
Right of vertical groove: Right lobe, quadrate lobe, caudate lobe (caudate is superior to quadrate)
What function do the lobes of the liver have?
No functional significance, just for distinguishing different parts of the liver
What is the purpose of the hilum of the liver and where is it located?
Visceral surface of the liver, the site at which the hepatic portal vein, proper hepatic artery and the common hepatic duct enter/leave the liver
What happens when the pancreatic duct joins with the bile duct?
They form a common duct called the hepatopancreatic duct which drains into the duodenum via the major duodenal papilla
Where are different parts of the pancreas located?
Tail: intraperitoneal, the rest: retroperitoneal
What does the arterial supply to the abdominal organs come from?
Abdominal aorta
What are the three major branches of the abdominal aorta which supply the GIT and the additional organs of the abdominal cavity?
Coeliac trunk, superior mesenteric, inferior mesenteric (relevant embryologically to foregut, midgut, hindgut blood supply)
What three groups can the branches of the abdominal aorta be divided into? Describe where they arise from and what they supply.
Unpaired visceral, paired visceral and parietal branches.
- The unpaired visceral arise from the anterior aspect of the aorta and supply organs of the GIT and the accessory organs.
- The paired visceral arise laterally from the aorta and supply adrenal glands, kidneys and gonads.
- The parietal branches arise posterolaterally and mainly supply the posterior abdominal wall musculoskeletal structures.
Where does the abdominal aorta end and what does it bifurcate into?
The abdominal aorta descends in the abdominal cavity until the level of the umbilicus at around L4, where it bifurcates into the right and left common iliac arteries which supply the pelvis and lower limb.
What are the two venous drainage pathways of the abdominal organs and what do they drain?
- The portal venous system which directs blood to the liver via the hepatic portal vein
- The systemic venous system which directs blood straight back to the heart via the IVC.
The blood drained from all of the abdominal organs enters into the portal venous circulation except for the kidneys and adrenal glands (and gonads, but these aren’t abdominal although they originated in the abdomen during embryological development)
Why is the venous drainage of the abdominal organs clinically relevant?
There are a number of sites of anastomoses where veins from the portal venous system anastomose with those of the systemic venous system. This means that if there is a problem with the portal venous drainage, blood from the portal venous system can be diverted into the systemic venous system- this can cause oesophageal varices, varicose veins of the anterior abdominal wall and haemorrhoids in the rectum.
