Abdomen Lecture Questions Flashcards
What are the demarcations/borders of the abdomen?
-Inferior margin of the thorax
-Superior margin of the pelvis and lower limb
What is the inferior thoracic aperture?
Forms the superior opening to the abdomen
What is the deep abdominal wall continuous with?
Continuous with the pelvic wall at the pelvic inlet
How does the abdomen communicate with the pelvic cavity?
Through the peritoneal cavity
How are abdominal viscera suspended?
They are suspended either by the mesentary or between the cavity and the wall
What type of fluid is in the peritoneal cavity? How much is in there?
-Peritoneal fluid only
-50mm of fluid
What happens if there is too little peritoneal fluid?
-Parietal peritoneum has sensory input
-If there is too little fluid, the organs can stick together and someone will get referred pain
What are the 3 main functions of the abdomen?
-Protection of major viscera
-Breathing
-Changes in intrabdominal pressure (which favors child birth and defacation)
What organs in the abdominal cavity are protected by the thoracic wall?
-Most of the liver
-Gallbladder
-Stomach
-Spleen
- Parts of the colon
What organs of the abdominal cavity are supported by the muscular wall of the abdomen and iliac fossa?
-Small intestine
-Colon
-Appendix
What does the diaphragm do during respiration?
-Contracts during inspiration
-Relaxes during expiration
What do people have trouble with if they do not use their abdomen for breathing? Why do they have those issues?
-They have more issues with concentration, anxiety, and sleeping
-This is because serotonin is stored in the gut and is released during diaphragmatic breathing
What are components of the abdomen?
-Wall
-Abdominal cavity
-Inferior thoracic aperture
-Diaphragm
-Pelvic inlet
What does the abdominal wall consist of?
-Muscles
-Bones
What are the skeletal elements of the bony portion of the abdominal wall?
-Lumbar vertebrae
-Superior expanded parts of the pelvic bones
-Inferior thoracic wall (costal margins, ribs 11-12, xiphoid process)
What muscles make up the posterior aspect of the abdominal wall?
-Quadratus lumborum
-Psoas major
-Iliacus
What muscles make up the lateral aspect of the abdominal wall?
-Transverse abdominis
-Internal oblique
-External oblique
What muscles make up the anterior aspect of the abdominal wall?
Rectus abdominis
What is the general organization of the abdominal cavity?
A central gut tube is suspended from the posterior abdominal wall and partially from the mesentary that is attached to the anterior abdominal wall
What are the 2 sub portions of the mesentary?
-Ventral mesentary for proximal regions of the gut
-Dorsal mesentary that spans the entire system
What is the function of the mesentary?
-Suspends abdominal organs
-Provides a “road” for blood vessels & nerves
-Stores fat
What is peritoneum? What are the two types?
-Epithelial-like single layer of cells that provides lining in the abdominal cavity
-Parietal peritoneum (lines the abdominal wall)
-Visceral peritoneum (covers suspended organs)
What are the two types of abdominal viscera?
-Intraperitoneal
-Retroperitoneal
What is intraperitoneal?
-Structures that are suspended from the abdominal wall by the mesentary
-Completely surrounded by peritoneum
What is retroperitoneal?
-Structures that are not suspended in the abdominal wall by the mesentary
-Lie between the parietal peritoneum & abdominal wall
-Only one surface is covered by the peritoneum
What are secondary retroperitoneal structures?
-Structures that start off as intraperitoneal during development
-They later fuse with the abdominal wall and become secondary retroperitoneal structures
What are some of the secondary retroperitoneal structures?
-Duodenum
-Ascending and descending colon
What is the inferior thoracic aperture? What is it closed by?
-Superior aperture of the abdomen
-Xiphoid process
-Ribs 11-12
-T12
-Closed by the diaphragm
Where does the diaphragm attach to?
-The margin of the inferior thoracic aperture
-Each side has a muscular extension/tendon, called the crus, that anchors the diaphragm to the anterolateral surface of the vertebral column (L3 on the right, L2 on the left)
What structure passes through the diaphragm and in between each crus?
The aorta
What are the arch shaped ligaments that the posterior diaphragm is anchored to? Where do these ligaments attach to?
-Median arcuate ligament
-Medial arcuate ligaments
-Lateral arcuate ligaments
-They attach to the transverse processes of L1 and rib 12
What structure is attached to the diaphragm where the aorta passes through? What happens if this structure is tight?
-Median arcuate ligament
-If this ligament is tight, it can compress the artery that supplies gut to the GI tract and can cause GI issues
What structures are found in the pelvic inlet?
-Rectum
-Bladder
-Uterus
-Ureters
-Peritoneum
What structures pass from the abdomen to the thigh?
-External iliac artery
-Femoral nerve
-Femoral artery
-Psoas major
-Iliacus