WEEK 6 CIRCULATION TO THE ABDOMEN FINISHED

Question 1

What are the 2 classification of the branches of the abdominal aorta?

Answer 1

Pairing: Paired or unpaired
Distribution: Visceral or parietal

Question 2

What are the 3 unpaired visceral branches of the abdominal aorta and at what level do each of these branches exit the aorta?

Answer 2

Celiac trunk (T12)
Superior mesenteric artery (L1)
Inferior mesenteric artery (L3)

Question 3

What are the 3 paired visceral branches of the abdominal aorta and at what level do each of these branches exit the aorta?

Answer 3

Suprarenal arteries (L1)
Renal arteries (L1)
Gonadal arteries - ovarian and testicular (L2)

Question 4

Describe the celiac trunk. Describe its pathway and branches, what its surrounded by.

Answer 4

Short wide trunk. Arises off the anterior abdominal aorta just distal to the aortic hiatus of the diaphragm at the level of T12.

Surrounded by the celiac lymph nodes as well as the celiac ganglia

Divides into

• Left gastric artery
• Splenic artery
• Hepatic artery

Question 5

What are the branches of the splenic artery? What does each of these branches supply? Do any of them branch further, if so which ones and into what?

Answer 5

• Short gastric artery: Fundus of the stomach
• Arteries to the pancreas (around about 10 of them): The pancreas
• Left gastro-omental artery: Left aspect of the greater curvature of the stomach

Also continues as the splenic artery to supply the spleen

Question 6

What are the branches of the hepatic artery? Do any of them branch further, if so which ones and into what?

Answer 6

• Right gastric artery: Right portion of the lesser curvature of the stomach
• Gastroduodenal artery: distal bile duct
  branches into
  > right gastro-omental: right greater curvature of the stomach
  AND
  > anterior posterior superior pancreatic-duodenal artery: duodenum and pancreas
• Left hepatic artery:
  Liver
• Right hepatic artery: Liver
  branches into the
  > cystic artery: gall bladder, cystic duct, proximal bile duct

Question 7

What does the Splenic artery supply?

Answer 7

The spleen

Question 8

What does the arteries to the pancreas supply and how many of them are there?

Answer 8

The pancreas

Around 10

Question 9

What does the short gastric artery supply?

Answer 9

The fundus of the stomach

Question 10

What does the left gastro-omental artery supply?

Answer 10

Left aspect of the greater curvature of the stomach

Question 11

What does the gastroduodenal artery supply?

Answer 11

Distal bile duct

Question 12

What does the right gastro-omental artery supply?

Answer 12

Right aspect of greater curvature of the stomach

Question 13

What does the anterior and posterior superior pancreatic-duodenal artery supply?

Answer 13

Duodenum and pancreas

Question 14

What does the right gastric artery supply?

Answer 14

The right portion of the lesser curvature of the stomach

Question 15

What does the left hepatic artery supply?

Answer 15

The liver

Question 16

What does the right hepatic artery supply?

Answer 16

The liver

Question 17

What does the cystic artery supply?

Answer 17

The gall bladder, cystic duct and promixal bile duct

Question 18

Where does the superior mesenteric artery arise from? Where does it go after it exits the aorta?

Answer 18

The anterior abdominal aorta, 1cm below celiac trunk at the level of L1

Enters the upper end of the mesentery of the small intestine

Question 19

What are the branches of the superior mesenteric artery? Do any of them branch further, if so which ones and into what?

Answer 19

• Middle colic artery
• Right colic artery
• Ileocolic artery - appendicular artery
• Intestinal artery
• Anterior and posterior inferior pancreatico-duodenal artery

Question 20

What does the anterior and posterior inferior pancreatico-duodenal artery supply?

Answer 20

Duodenum and pancreas

Question 21

What does the intestinal arteries supply? How many of them are there?

Answer 21

They’re found in the mesentery and supply the jejunum and the ileum

Question 22

What does the middle colic artery supply?

Answer 22

Found in the transverse mesocolon and supplies the transverse colon

Question 23

What does the right colic artery supply?

Answer 23

The ascending colon and a little of the transverse colon

Question 24

What does the ileocolic artery supply?

Answer 24

It is the terminal branch of the superior mesenteric artery and supplies the ileum, the caecum and the ascending colon.

Question 25

What does the appendicular artery supply?

Answer 25

The vermiform appendix

Question 26

Describe the inferior mesenteric artery. Where does it arise from?

Answer 26

Arises from the anterior part of the abdominal aorta behind the 3rd part of the duodenum at the level of umbilicus (L3)

Question 27

What are the branches of the inferior mesenteric artery? Do any of them branch further, if so which ones and into what?

Answer 27

- Left colic artery - Sigmoid artery - Superior rectal artery

Question 28

What does the left colic artery supply?

Answer 28

The descending colon, a little of the transverse colon and the sigmoid colon

Question 29

What do the sigmoid arteries supply? How many of them are there?

Answer 29

3-4 Supply the descending colon and the sigmoid colon

Question 30

What does the superior rectal artery supply?

Answer 30

It is the terminal branch of the inferior mesenteric artery. It supplies the proximal part of the rectum

Question 31

What is the vein distribution in the abdomen?

Answer 31

All veins are tributaries of the IVC except the left gonadal vein and the left suprarenal vein which enter the left renal vein before entering the IVC.

Question 32

Where does the IVC start and how does it ascend? Where does it exit the thorax? What is its function?

Answer 32

Begins anterior to L5 vertebra by the union of the common iliac veins. IVC ascends on the right side of the bodies of L3-L5, right psoas and to the right of the aorta. Exits the thorax through the caval opening at the level of T8 Its function is to return poorly oxygenated blood from the lower limbs, most of the posterior abdominal wall and the abdominopelvic viscera to the heart.

Question 33

Where does the blood from the abdominal viscera travel before it enters the IVC?

Answer 33

It travels through the portal venous system and the liver before entering the IVC through the hepatic veins. Blood from the digestive tract goes through the liver first,. The rest of the blood flows straight into the IVC.

Question 34

What is the exception about the left gonadal vein and the left supra renal vein?

Answer 34

They flow into the left renal vein before it empties into the IVC.