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Superior mesenteric artery

Artery which supplies blood to the intestines and pancreas

Field	Value
Name	Superior mesenteric artery
Latin	arteria mesenterica superior
Image	Superior_mesenteric_a.gif
Caption	Frontal view of the superior mesenteric artery and its branches. The large vessel (blue) beside the SMA is the superior mesenteric vein. A considerable number of different branching patterns exist.
Image2	3D rendered CT of abdominal aortic branches and kidneys.svg
Caption2	3D-rendered computed tomography of abdominal aortic branches, showing exit of superior mesenteric artery between the kidneys.
BranchFrom	Abdominal aorta
BranchTo	Inferior pancreaticoduodenal
middle colic
right colic
intestinal branches (jejunal, ileal)
ileocolic Marginal artery of the colon
Vein	Superior mesenteric vein
Precursor	Vitelline arteries
Supplies	Intestine

middle colic right colic intestinal branches (jejunal, ileal) ileocolic Marginal artery of the colon

In human anatomy, the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is an artery which arises from the anterior surface of the abdominal aorta, just inferior to the origin of the celiac trunk, and supplies blood to the intestine from the lower part of the duodenum through two-thirds of the transverse colon, as well as the pancreas.

Structure

Origin

In the adult, the SMA arises anterior to inferior border of vertebra L1 (transpyloric plane). It is usually 1 cm lower than the celiac trunk.

Course and relations

It initially travels in an anterior/inferior direction, passing behind/under the neck of the pancreas and the splenic vein. Located under this portion of the superior mesenteric artery, between it and the aorta, are the following:

left renal vein - travels between the left kidney and the inferior vena cava (can be compressed between the SMA and the abdominal aorta at this location, leading to nutcracker syndrome).
the third part of the duodenum, a segment of the small intestines (can be compressed by the SMA at this location, leading to superior mesenteric artery syndrome).
uncinate process of pancreas - this is a small part of the pancreas that hooks around the SMA.

The SMA typically runs to the left of its associated vein, the superior mesenteric vein. After passing the neck of the pancreas it starts giving off its branches.

Branches

Branch		Supplies
inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery
intestinal arteries
ileocolic artery
right colic artery
middle colic artery

The number of arterial arcades in the ileum is more than the number of arcades in the jejunum.

The middle, right, and ileocecal branches anastomose with each other to form a marginal artery along the inner border of the colon. This artery is completed by branches of the left colic which is a branch of the inferior mesenteric artery.

Clinical significance

Compared to other vessels of similar size, the SMA is largely spared from the effects of atherosclerosis. This may be due to protective haemodynamic conditions.
Acute occlusion of the SMA almost invariably leads to intestinal ischemia and often has devastating consequences, with up to 80% of SMA occlusions leading to death.
The SMA can compress the left renal vein, leading to nutcracker syndrome; and/or the third (horizontal) part of the duodenum, leading to superior mesenteric artery syndrome.

Additional images

File:Volume rendered CT scan of abdominal and pelvic blood vessels (smaller).gif|Animated Volume rendered CT scan of abdominal and pelvic blood vessels. File:Intestinal arteries.JPG|Superior mesenteric artery File:Slide10gre.JPG|Dissection showing the anatomical relationship between the superior mesenteric artery and surrounding structures

References

(March 2010). "An investigation of human jejunal and ileal arteries". Anatomical Science International.
(1998). "Intraoperative laser Doppler flowmetry: a predictor of ischemic injury in acute mesenteric infarction". Digestive Surgery.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

arteries-of-the-abdomen

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