Abstract
The mesentery is a single and continuous organ. All abdominal digestive organs are directly connected to the mesenteric frame, which in turn collectively connects the abdominal digestive system to the body. It has a defined arterial inflow (via the coeliac trunk and superior and inferior mesenteric arteries) and venous drainage (at hepatic veins). Once the arterial trunks enter the mesentery they subdivide into major branches that remain intra-mesenteric until target organs are reached. The entirety of the portal venous system is intra-mesenteric in location. Mesenteric continuity and contiguity with abdominal digestive organs enables us subdivide the abdomen into mesenteric and non-mesenteric domains. This model (the mesenteric model) reconciles anatomical, embryological, surgical and radiological approaches to the abdomen. It explains how all abdominal digestive organs are centrally connected and it explains the peritoneal landscape.
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Fleming, C.A., Walsh, D., Coffey, J.C. (2021). General Anatomy of the Mesentery. In: Ehrenpreis, E.D., Alverdy, J.C., Wexner, S.D. (eds) The Mesenteric Organ in Health and Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71963-0_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71963-0_3
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