Celiac trunk by A.Griguolo

Generality

The celiac trunk is one of the major branches of the abdominal aorta.

Originating at the level of the T12 thoracic vertebra, the celiac trunk is a short length artery (slightly larger than the centimeter), which is divided into three branches: the left gastric artery, the common hepatic artery and the splenic artery .

Through its branches and the further branches of these, the celiac trunk supplies the stomach with oxygenated blood (in particular bottom, minor curvature, major curvature and pylorus), spleen, liver (both lobes), gall bladder, abdominal esophagus, pancreas and duodenum.

Short review of what an artery is

In human anatomy, any blood vessel used for transporting blood from the heart to the body's various tissues and organs is included in the list of arteries .

Contrary to what many people think, only oxygenated blood (ie "load" of oxygen) does NOT flow in the arteries; to demonstrate what has just been stated is the existence of the pulmonary artery and its branches, ie the arterial vessels destined to transport oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs, in order to provide oxygenation of the aforementioned blood.

The arteries differ from the veins from the structural point of view: compared to the second, the former are more extensible and of greater thickness.

What is the Celiac Trunk?

The celiac trunk is one of the major branches of the abdominal aorta .

In other words, therefore, the celiac trunk is an important artery of the human body, which arises from the aorta tract located at the level of the abdomen.

In anatomy, the celiac trunk is also known by the names of celiac artery and celiac tripod .

Aorta: short anatomical review

The aorta is the largest and most significant artery in the human body.

With origin in the heart (to be exact from the left ventricle of the heart ), this fundamental arterial vessel is provided, from the beginning, with branches (called branches), through which it supplies oxygenated blood to each district of the body human, from the head to the lower limbs, passing through the upper limbs and the trunk.

Looking at it from the heart, the aorta can be subdivided, ideally, into two large sections: the thoracic aorta and the abdominal aorta.

The diaphragm marks the boundary between thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta; when the latter is overcome, the thoracic aorta becomes an abdominal aorta.

Celiac trunk and abdominal aorta

Dropped into the framework of the branches of the abdominal aorta, the celiac trunk is:

• The second branch of the abdominal aorta ; just before the celiac tripod, in fact, there is a pair of inferior phrenic arteries (representing, together, the first branch of the abdominal aorta).
• The first of the major branches of the abdominal aorta ; after the celiac artery, the other major branches of the abdominal aorta are: the superior mesenteric artery, the superior mesenteric artery and the two common iliac arteries .
• The first of the unequal branches of the abdominal aorta ; after the celiac trunk, the subsequent uneven arteries of the abdominal aorta are the aforementioned superior mesenteric artery and inferior mesenteric artery, and the medial sacral artery .

Anatomy

Originating in the very first part of the abdominal aorta, the celiac trunk is an artery of short length (on average 1.25 centimeters ), which ends its course by separating into three branches, called branches of the celiac trunk .

Origin of the Celiac Trunk: the details

The celiac trunk is born at the point of abdominal aorta which is at the same height as the thoracic vertebra T12 and posterior to the median arcuate ligament ; at this point in the human body, the abdominal aorta has recently begun its course along the abdominal cavity.

Anatomists have established that the abdominal aorta starts at the level of the so-called aortic hiatus .

Also known as an aortic or aortic foramen, the aortic hiatus is the posterior opening to the diaphragm, resulting from the particular disposition of the latter with respect to the vertebral column.

In addition to the abdominal aorta, the thoracic duct (an important vessel of the lymphatic system) and the azygos vein pass through the aortic hiatus.

At its point of origin, the celiac trunk has an anterior orientation with respect to the abdominal aorta; this means that it points (or tends to) towards the abdominal wall.

The branches of the abdominal aorta may have anterior orientation and posterior orientation .

If the branches with anterior orientation point (or tend to) towards the abdominal wall, the branches with posterior orientation are directed towards the back.

Path of the Celiac Trunk: the details

From after the origin, the celiac trunk proceeds towards the abdominal wall, passing below the median arcuate ligament.

As anticipated, the celiac tripod extends for just over a centimeter; after which, at the level of the upper margin of the pancreas, it is divided into 3 branches (the branches of the celiac trunk), two of which go to the left, while one goes to the right.

Branches of the Celiac Trunk

The three branches of the celiac trunk are: the left gastric artery, the common hepatic artery and the splenic artery .

As the reader will be able to appreciate by continuing with the reading, these three branches are arteries from which further branches (thus other branches) originate.

LEFT GASTRIC ARTERY

The left gastric artery is the smallest of the three branches of the celiac trunk.

Oriented towards the left side of the human body, this artery ascends in the cranial direction, going to lick, first, the small curvature of the stomach and, then, the bottom of the stomach .

• At the level of the small curvature of the stomach, it gives rise, first, to the so-called esophageal branches (which supply the abdominal esophagus with blood) and, subsequently, creates an anastomosis with the right gastric artery (coming from the common hepatic artery);
• At the level of the bottom of the stomach, instead, it is limited to creating a second anastomosis with the short gastric arteries (coming from the splenic artery).

COMMON HEPATIC ARTERY

The common hepatic artery is the only one of the three branches of the celiac trunk oriented towards the right side of the human body.

In taking life from the celiac trunk, this arterial vessel penetrates into the small omentum and, from here, moves slightly upwards, in the direction of the portal vein and passing the upper margin of the duodenum .

The common hepatic artery gives rise to three branches: the aforementioned right gastric artery, the proper hepatic artery and the gastroduodenal artery .

The right gastric artery is a collateral branch (therefore it is located along the pathway of the common hepatic artery), while the proper hepatic artery and the gastroduodenal artery are two terminal branches (therefore they mark the conclusion of the common hepatic artery).

• Right gastric artery: already protagonist of the anastomosis with the left gastric artery, it supplies part of the stomach with oxygenated blood, to be precise the pylorus and the minor curvature;
• Own hepatic artery: through three further branches (the right and left hepatic arteries, and the cystic artery), the small increase ascends in the direction of the liver, and supplies the two hepatic lobes and the gall bladder .
• Gastroduodenal artery: through two other branches (right gastroepiploic artery and upper pancreaticoduodenal artery), descends behind the upper portion of the duodenum and provides blood circulation of the greater curvature of the stomach, the head of the pancreas and the duodenum .

SPLENIC ARTERY

The splenic artery arises shortly after the left gastric artery and, in left orientation, projects towards the spleen, remaining above the upper margin of the pancreas.

Contained in the so-called splenorenal ligament, the splenic artery sprays the spleen firsthand with blood, but also gives rise to branches, which, in fact, mark its conclusion.

Among the branches that draw life from the splenic artery, there are: the left gastroepiploic artery, the short gastric arteries and pancreatic arteries .

• Left gastroepiploic artery: supplies the greater curvature of the stomach with oxygenated blood and is the protagonist of an anastomosis with the aforementioned right gastroepiploic artery (branching of the gastroduodenal artery);
• Short gastric arteries: further branches are divided into 5-7, which anastomose with the left gastric artery and supply the bottom of the stomach ;
• Pancreatic arteries: including the dorsal pancreatic artery, the transverse pancreatic artery and the major pancreatic artery (or pancreatic magna artery), supplying the neck, body and tail of the pancreas with oxygenated blood.

variants

In about 30% of the population, the celiac trunk and the branch system connected to it present an anatomy different from that described so far; more specifically, in the aforementioned percentage of subjects, it is possible to observe:

• Birth directly from the abdominal aorta or from the superior mesenteric artery of one of the three main branches of the celiac trunk;
• Different branches with regard to the system of sub-branches (eg: the left hepatic artery as a branch of the left gastric artery; the right gastric artery as a branch of the proper hepatic artery; etc.).

Function

Summing up, through the complex system of branches to which it gives life, the celiac trunk supplies oxygenated blood: the stomach (in particular the bottom, minor curvature, major curvature and pylorus), spleen, liver (both lobes), gall bladder, abdominal esophagus, pancreas and duodenum.

diseases

In the pathological field, the celiac trunk can be at the center of three conditions:

• Peptic ulcers with more severe stomach or duodenum ;
• The splenic artery aneurysm;
• The so-called celiac trunk compression syndrome .

Severe peptic ulcers: what happens?

In severe peptic ulcers affecting the stomach or duodenum, the lesions may also reach the celiac trunk subrack, which supplies the aforementioned organs, namely the gastroduodenal artery.

Splenic artery aneurysm: what happens?

An aneurysm is an abnormal and stable dilation of a blood vessel segment, usually arterial.

According to statistics, the splenic artery (ie the right branch of the celiac trunk) is the third most common site of aneurysm (after the aorta and the iliac arteries).

Celiac trunk compression syndrome: what happens?

The celiac trunk compression syndrome is the set of symptoms and signs deriving from the crushing of the celiac trunk, operated by a malformed (or rather abnormally positioned) arcuate median ligament.

Celiac trunk compression syndrome requires ad hoc surgery.