BIOL 221 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Inferior Mesenteric Artery, Inferior Mesenteric Vein, Superior Mesenteric Artery
4 Mar 2020
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Document Summary
Splanchnic circulation, as any systemic circulation, begins with arteries that arise as branches of the aorta; in this case they are branches of the abdominal aorta. There are three main branches coming from the abdominal aorta: the celiac trunk, superior mesenteric artery and inferior mesenteric artery. The and celiac trunk branches into the common hepatic artery serving the liver and part of the pancreas, the left gastric artery serving the stomach and inferior esophagus, and the splenic artery serving the spleen, stomach and pancreas. The superior mesenteric artery serves most of the small intestine and a substantial portion of the large intestine (ascending, transverse and most of the descending colon). The inferior mesenteric artery serves the distal descending colon, the sigmoid colon and the rectum. Unlike the venous blood from most organs, venous blood from the abdominal digestive organs does not go directly back to the heart.
