Epiploic appendage
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At the time the article was created Henry Knipe had no recorded disclosures.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Hossein Salehzadeh had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Hossein Salehzadeh's current disclosures- Appendices epiploicae
- Epiploic appendages
Epiploic appendages (or appendix epiploica, plural: appendices epiploicae) are peritoneum-lined protrusions of subserosal fat that arise from the surface of the large bowel.
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Gross anatomy
Epiploic appendages typically measure 1.5 x 3.5 cm but have been reported to measure up to 15 cm in length 4. There are between 50-100 of them in the large bowel, from the caecum (where they may be absent) to the rectosigmoid junction. They are distributed longitudinally in two rows on the medial (along the taenia libera) and the posterolateral (along the taenia omentalis) aspects of the large bowel. There is only one row of epiploic appendages along the transverse colon and there are none along the rectum.
Blood supply
They are supplied by one to two small nutrient arteries that pierce the bowel serosa; it is here where colonic diverticula are thought to arise.
Radiographic features
Not normally visible on fluoroscopy, radiography or CT, unless they are surrounded by contrasting material (e.g. haemoperitoneum, ascites, or contrast medium from hysterosalpingography) 4.
Related pathology
Quiz questions
References
- 1. Schuenke M, Schulte E, Schumacher U et-al. Neck and Internal Organs. Thieme. ISBN:1604062940. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Rashid A, Nazir S, Hakim SY et-al. Epiploic appendagitis of caecum: a diagnostic dilemma. Ger Med Sci. 2013;10: Doc14. doi:10.3205/000165 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
- 3. Abdominal wall hernias. Springer. ISBN:0387950044. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 4. Ghahremani GG, White EM, Hoff FL et-al. Appendices epiploicae of the colon: radiologic and pathologic features. Radiographics. 1992;12 (1): 59-77. doi:10.1148/radiographics.12.1.1734482 - Pubmed citation
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