Spleen

Question 1

What is the gastrosplenic ligament?

Answer 1

Part of the greater omentum located anterior to the splenic hilum - connects spleen to greater curvature of stomach

Question 2

What is the Splenorenal ligament?

Answer 2

Part of the greater omentum located posteriorly to the splenic hilum.
Splenic vessels and tail of pancreas lie within this ligament.

Question 3

What structures lie anterior to the spleen?

Answer 3

Stomach

Question 4

What structures lie posterior to the spleen?

Answer 4

Diaphragm
Left lung
Ribs 9-11

Question 5

What structures lie inferior to the spleen?

Answer 5

Left splenic flexure (colon)

Question 6

What structures lie medially to the spleen?

Answer 6

Left kidney

Tail of pancreas

Question 7

What blood vessels supply the spleen?

Answer 7

Splenic artery (branch of Coeliac Trunk) - branches into 5 arteries supplying different sections of the spleen

Question 8

What is the venous drainage from the spleen?

Answer 8

Splenic vein - combines with superior mesenteric vein to form the hepatic portal vein

Question 9

What is the nerve innervation to the spleen?

Answer 9

Coeliac plexus

Question 10

What is the lymph drainage of the spleen?

Answer 10

Drain into pancreaticosplenic lymph nodes and then coeliac nodes

Question 11

What is the surface anatomy of the spleen?

Answer 11

Sits on L posterior abdominal wall in relation to ribs 9-11 (or 10-12 in some people)

Question 12

Is the spleen intraperitoneal or retroperitoneal?

Answer 12

Intraperitoneal

Question 13

What is the embryological origin of the spleen?

Answer 13

Mesenchymal

Question 14

Towards which region does the spleen enlarge?

Answer 14

Right Iliac Fossa (or RLQ)

Question 15

What is the function of the spleen?

Answer 15

Filtering of old RBCs

Storage of platelets and WBCs (immune response)