Root of the mesentery
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View Yaïr Glick's current disclosures- Root of mesentery
- Root of the small bowel mesentery
- Root of small bowel mesentery
- Root of the small intestine mesentery
- Root of small intestine mesentery
- Mesenteric root
The root of the mesentery, or root of the small bowel mesentery to be exact, is the origin of the mesentery of the small intestine (i.e. jejunum and ileum) from the posterior parietal peritoneum, attached to the posterior abdominal wall. It descends from the duodenojejunal flexure at a 45 degree angle to the ileocecal junction in the right iliac fossa.
Gross anatomy
The mesenteric root lies along a line running diagonally from the duodenojejunal flexure to the right sacroiliac joint. It crosses over the third part of the duodenum, aorta, inferior vena cava, right ureter and right psoas major muscle. Its average length is 15 cm, while the intestinal attachment of the mesentery is the same length as the small intestine itself (around 3.5-5 m) and greatly folded.
The root of the mesentery divides the infracolic compartment into:
- right (upper) infracolic space
- left (lower) infracolic space
It contains the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and superior mesenteric vein (SMV).
Relations
The mesenteric root is contiguous with
- superiorly: hepatoduodenal ligament
- anteriorly: right side of the transverse mesocolon; the gastrocolic trunk marks the border between them
- posterolaterally: ascending and descending mesocolon; the inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) is a landmark of the latter
References
- 1. Okino Y, Kiyosue H, Mori H, Komatsu E, Matsumoto S, Yamada Y, Suzuki K, Tomonari K. Root of the small-bowel mesentery: correlative anatomy and CT features of pathologic conditions. Radiographics 21 (6): 1475-90. doi:10.1148/radiographics.21.6.g01nv121475 - Pubmed
- 2. Susan Standring. Gray's Anatomy. ISBN: 9780443066849
- 3. Mcminn. Last's Anatomy. ISBN: 9780729537520
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