Middle colic artery
Branch
Arises from the SMA just below the pancreatic neck, enters the transverse mesocolon and splits into right and left branches. The left branch reaches the splenic flexure to meet the ascending branch of the left colic — the furthest reach of the SMA.
Traced from the start
- Abdominal aorta
- Superior mesenteric artery
- Middle colic artery
Detail
- Supplies
- Proximal two-thirds of the transverse colon
- Anastomosis
- Left colic via the marginal artery (Griffiths' point) and, when present, the arc of Riolan
- Origin
- Second SMA branch, immediately after the inferior pancreaticoduodenal
When it goes wrong
SMA embolus lodges just beyond the middle colic origin
Transverse colon and proximal jejunum keep their supply while the rest of the midgut infarcts — the classic angiographic pattern distinguishing embolus from origin thrombosis
Middle colic ligated at extended right hemicolectomy or transverse colectomy
Splenic flexure depends on the left colic ascending branch; a poor arcade leaves an ischaemic anastomosis
Practise this structure
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