Splenic artery

Last revised by Daniel J Bell on 20 Sep 2024

The splenic artery is one of the three branches of the celiac trunk, which supplies the spleen as well as large parts of the stomach and pancreas.

The splenic artery is one of the terminal branches of the celiac trunk, passing left from the celiac axis across the left crus of the diaphragm and left psoas muscle. It is a tortuous artery, running superior to the pancreas before turning forward into the splenorenal ligament to the hilum of the spleen. The splenic vein accompanies it inferoposteriorly.

Near the splenic hilum the splenic artery gives off a superior polar branch before dividing into superior and inferior terminal branches or lobar branches. These lobar branches further divide into two to six intrasplenic segmental branches which anastamose within the spleen. 

  • separate origin from the abdominal aorta rather than the celiac trunk (~8%)

In the past, it was also called the lienal artery 4.

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