Splenic artery
Sub-branch · Upper border pancreas Short gastrics
Largest coeliac branch, running a tortuous course along the superior border of the pancreas behind the lesser sac to reach the splenic hilum in the splenorenal ligament. Gives pancreatic branches, the short gastric arteries (fundus, via the gastrosplenic ligament) and the left gastro-omental artery (greater curvature).
Traced from the start
- Abdominal aorta
- Coeliac trunk
- Splenic artery
Detail
- Supplies
- Spleen, body and tail of pancreas, fundus and greater curvature of the stomach
- Branches
- Pancreatic branches, short gastrics, left gastro-omental, terminal segmental splenic branches
- Relations
- Splenic vein runs below it behind the pancreas to join the SMV behind the neck
When it goes wrong
Splenic artery aneurysm (the commonest visceral artery aneurysm, more frequent in multiparous women)
Rupture into the lesser sac and then the peritoneum, classically in the third trimester, with high maternal and fetal mortality; a calcified ring in the left upper quadrant on plain film
Acute pancreatitis or a pancreatic pseudocyst eroding the artery
Pseudoaneurysm with sudden gastrointestinal or intraperitoneal haemorrhage; treated by embolisation
Proximal splenic artery embolisation for splenic trauma
Spleen survives on short gastric, gastro-omental and pancreatic collaterals, which is why the main trunk rather than the hilar branches is embolised
Practise this structure
1 question in the bank tagged Mesenteric Arterial Supply.