Mesentery

Mesentery
Mesentery extending from the duodenojejunal flexure to the ileocecal junction
Details
Pronunciation/ˈmɛzənˌtɛri/
SystemDigestive system
Identifiers
Latinmesenterium
MeSHD008643
TA98A10.1.02.007
TA23740
FMA7144
Anatomical terminology

In human anatomy, the mesentery is an organ that attaches the intestines to the posterior abdominal wall, consisting of a double fold of the peritoneum. It helps (among other functions) in storing fat and allowing blood vessels, lymphatics, and nerves to supply the intestines.[1]

The mesocolon (the part of the mesentery that attaches the colon to the abdominal wall) was formerly thought to be a fragmented structure, with all named parts—the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid mesocolons, the mesoappendix, and the mesorectum—separately terminating their insertion into the posterior abdominal wall.[2] However, in 2012, new microscopic and electron microscopic examinations showed the mesocolon to be a single structure derived from the duodenojejunal flexure and extending to the distal mesorectal layer.[2][3] Thus the mesentery is an internal organ.[4][5]

  1. ^ "Definition of Mesentery". MedicineNet. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  2. ^ a b Coffey, JC (August 2013). "Surgical anatomy and anatomic surgery - Clinical and scientific mutualism". The Surgeon. 11 (4): 177–82. doi:10.1016/j.surge.2013.03.002. PMID 23597667.
  3. ^ Coffey JC, Sehgal R, Culligan K, et al. (June 2014). "Terminology and nomenclature in colonic surgery: universal application of a rule-based approach derived from updates on mesenteric anatomy". Techniques in Coloproctology. 18 (9): 789–94. doi:10.1007/s10151-014-1184-2. PMID 24968936. S2CID 20276149.
  4. ^ "Irish surgeon identifies emerging area of medical science". 22 December 2020.
  5. ^ Beth Mole, The human body may have a new organ—the mesentery (arstechnica.com, 4 January 2017)