Gastro - Anatomy Flashcards
What two blood vessels and one nerve run anterior to the spine at the level of the umbilicus?
The aorta, inferior vena cava, and sympathetic trunk run together along the spine.
What branch of the abdominal aorta supplies the foregut?
Coeliac trunk
What is the most superficial muscle group making up the lateral abdominal wall?
External oblique
What is the deepest muscle group making up the lateral abdominal wall?
Transversus abdominis
What is the name of the connective tissue that lies between the rectus muscles at the midline?
Linea alba
What individual layers of fascia join to make the rectus sheath?
Fascia of the external oblique, internal oblique, and transversus abdominus
Which parts of the duodenum are retroperitoneal?
The second, third, and fourth parts of the duodenum
Name two major organs that lie completely in the retroperitoneal space.
The kidneys and adrenal glands
What part of the pancreas is not found in the retroperitoneal space?
The tail of the pancreas
Which two parts of the urinary system are retroperitoneal?
The kidney and ureters
Which portion of the colon is not retroperitoneal?
Transverse colon
In the gastrointestinal tract, the falciform ligament connects which two structures?
The liver and the abdominal wall
In the gastrointestinal tract, the gastrohepatic ligament connects which two structures?
The liver and the lesser curvature of the stomach
In the gastrointestinal tract, the gastrocolic ligament connects which two structures?
The transverse colon and the greater curvature of the stomach
In the gastrointestinal tract, the gastrosplenic ligament connects which two structures?
The spleen and the greater curvature of the stomach
In the gastrointestinal tract, the splenorenal ligament connects which two structures?
The spleen and the posterior abdominal wall
The _____ ligament connects the liver and the duodenum.
Hepatoduodenal
The falciform ligament contains what structure?
The ligamentum teres
The hepatoduodenal ligament contains what structures?
The portal triad (the portal vein, the portal artery, and the common bile duct)
The gastrohepatic ligament contains what structures?
The gastric arteries
The gastrocolic ligament contains what structures?
The gastroepiploic arteries
The splenorenal ligament contains what structures?
The splenic artery and the splenic vein
From what fetal structure is the falciform ligament derived?
Fetal umbilical vein
The portal triad can be compressed through what opening to control bleeding?
The omental foramen (also known as the epiploic foramen of Winslow)
What gastrointestinal ligament can be cut to access the lesser sac during surgery?
The gastrohepatic ligament
What ligament is part of the greater omentum?
Gastrocolic ligament
What ligament separates the greater and lesser sacs?
Gastrosplenic ligament
Which layer of the muscularis externa is closer to the lumen: the circular layer or the longitudinal layer?
The circular layer
List three components of the gut wall mucosa.
Epithelium, lamina propria, and muscularis mucosa
What is the primary function of the epithelium of the gut wall mucosa?
Absorption
What is the primary function of the lamina propria of the gut wall mucosa?
Support
What is the primary function of the muscularis mucosa of the gut wall mucosa?
Mucosal motility
What structure is found within the submucosa of the gut wall?
The submucosal nerve plexus (Meissner’s plexus)
Meissner’s plexus controls what three functions of the submucosal gut wall?
Secretions, blood flow, and absorption
What lies between the inner circular and outer longitudinal layers of the muscularis externa?
The myenteric nerve plexus (Auerbach’s plexus)
List the four main layers of the gut wall, starting from the inside and going out.
Mucosa, submucosa, muscularis externa, and serosa
What is the rate of basal electrical rhythm in the stomach?
3 waves/min
What is the rate of basal electrical rhythm in the duodenum?
12 waves/min
What is the rate of basal electrical rhythm in the ileum?
8-9 waves/min
Villi are found in which section of the digestive tract?
Small intestine
Describe the epithelium of the esophagus in histological terms.
Nonkeratinized stratified squamous cell epithelium
A patient presents with intractable diarrhea and is found to have celiac disease. What microstructure is damaged and where is it located?
The villi and the microvilli of the small intestine are likely damaged resulting in decreased absorptive capacity and diarrhoea
What part of the small intestine has the highest concentration of villi and microvilli?
Duodenum; villi increase the surface area of the epithelium to maximize absorption
Name a submucosal structure that is unique to the duodenum.
Brunner’s glands
These epithelial glands are found throughout the small intestine.
Crypts of Lieberkühn
Goblet cells are highly concentrated in this area of the small intestine.
Jejunum
Which immunologic structures are unique to the Ileum?
Peyer’s patches
Name a major histological difference between the duodenum and the colon.
The duodenum has villi whereas the colon only has crypts
The primary function of the myenteric plexus is to coordinate what function?
Motility along the entire gut wall
The myenteric plexus is located between what two smooth muscle layers?
The inner circular layer and the outer longitudinal layer (remember: AUerbach’s is on the Autside)
The submucosal plexus is located between what two layers?
The mucosa and the inner layer of smooth muscle
What are the functions of the submucosal nerve plexus?
Regulation of secretions, blood flow, and absorption
The upper one-third of the esophagus is composed of _____ muscle.
Striated
The lower one-third of the esophagus is composed of ______ muscle.
Smooth
What type of muscle fibers make up the middle one third of the esophagus?
Both striated and smooth muscle
This branch of the aorta supplies the foregut.
Coeliac trunk
Which branch of the aorta comes off at the level of L1?
The superior mesenteric artery
Which paired arteries come off the aorta at the level of L2?
The ovarian or testicular arteries
Which paired arteries come off the aorta at the level of L1?
The renal arteries
At what level does the abdominal aorta bifurcate?
L4
Which two arteries does the aorta become after the bifurcation?
Left and right common iliac arteries
An elderly patient presents with bright red bleeding per rectum and is found to be hypotensive. On colonoscopy, she is found to have necrotic mucosa at the splenic flexure. What is the blood supply to this region?
Inferior and superior mesenteric arteries
What are the three embryologic divisions of the gastrointestinal tract?
The foregut, midgut, and hindgut
Which artery supplies the foregut?
Coeliac trunk
Which artery supplies the midgut?
The superior mesenteric artery
Which artery supplies the hindgut?
Inferior mesenteric artery
What are the main gastrointestinal structures derived from the embryonic foregut?
The stomach, proximal duodenum, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas