abdominal vasculature

Question 1

What is the artery to the foregut?

Answer 1

• celiac trunk

Question 2

What is the artery to the midgut?

Answer 2

• superior mesenteric artery

Question 3

What is the artery to the hindgut?

Answer 3

• inferior mesenteric artery

Question 4

What does the superior mesenteric artery supply?

Answer 4

• everything from the jejunum to the transverse colon

Question 5

What is the vascular distinction between the jejunum and ileum?

Answer 5

• jejunum has a longer vasa recta, few arcades than ileum

Question 6

What are the branches of the superior mesenteric artery?

Answer 6

1. middle colic
2. ileocolic
3. right colic

Question 7

What arteries branch from the middle colic artery?

Answer 7

Right –> Right colic artery
Left –> Left colic artery
Anastomtic Channel –> Marginal Artery (along large intestine)

Question 8

What arteries branch from the inferior mesenteric artery?

Answer 8

1. left colic artery
2. sigmoid arteries
3. superior rectal artery

Question 9

What is significant about the superior rectal artery?

Answer 9

• termination of inferior mesenteric artery
• divides into 2 branches and anastomoses with middle and inferior rectal arteries
• portal cava anastomoses (portal system and vena cava come together)

Question 10

Where does the inferior mesenteric artery begin?

Answer 10

• splenic flexture

Question 11

What artery has three weak anastomoses?

Answer 11

• marginal artery

Question 12

What is the first paired branches of arteries from the aorta (T12)?

Answer 12

• inferior phrenic arteries

Question 13

What side of the renal artery is longer?

Answer 13

• Right renal artery is longer (aorta to the left)

Question 14

What side of the renal vein is longer?

Answer 14

• Left renal vein is longer (vena cava to the right)

Question 15

What forms the portal vein?

Answer 15

• union of splenic vein and superior mesenteric vein posterior to the neck of the pancreas

Question 16

What vein bisects the splenic and superior mesenteric vein?

Answer 16

• inferior mesenteric vein joins either the splenic or superior mesenteric vein or the junction of the two

Question 17

What is special about the hepatic veins?

Answer 17

• they don’t enter or leave the liver at the sametime

- drain into inferior vena cava

Question 18

What structures drain into the portal vein?

Answer 18

• abdominal part of gut
• spleen
• pancreas
• gallbladder
  (basically fore, mid, hindgut)

Question 19

What are the five portal-caval anastomoses

Answer 19

1. left gastric vein & esophageal vein of azygous
2. superior rectal vein & middle & inferior rectal vein
   3 &4. right and left umbilical vein & superficial & inferior epigastric veins
3. retroperitoneal veins draining colon, renal, and gonadal veins

Question 20

What is the caput medusae?

Answer 20

• dilated veins radiation from umbilicus which occurs because paraumbilical veins enclosed in free margin of falciform ligament anastomose with branches of epigastric veins around umbilicus (immediately under the skin)

Question 21

What causes hemorrhoids?

Answer 21

• dilated veins in rectum and anal canal because of enlargement of veins around anal canal