Mesentery

The mesentery is a fold of peritoneal tissue that attaches the intestines to the abdominal wall and carries their blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatics.

Peritoneum: A membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and covers many abdominal organs. The mesentery is formed from two layers of this membrane.
Small intestine: The digestive-tract region between the stomach and large intestine, comprising the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Its jejunum and ileum are suspended by the small-intestinal mesentery.
Mesenteric ischemia: Inadequate blood flow to the intestines, often caused by obstruction or narrowing of mesenteric arteries. It results when blood supply carried through mesenteric vessels cannot meet intestinal needs.
Frederick Treves: A British surgeon and anatomist whose writings included influential descriptions of abdominal anatomy. His anatomical account helped establish the traditional view that the mesentery consisted of separate folds.
Greater omentum: A large apron-like peritoneal fold that hangs from the stomach over the intestines. Unlike the mesentery, it chiefly drapes over abdominal organs rather than suspending the small intestine.
Mesenteric root: The narrow attachment of the small-intestinal mesentery to the posterior abdominal wall. It is the mesentery’s fixed attachment, spanning the routes of its vessels and nerves.
Large intestine: The digestive-tract region that absorbs water and forms stool, including the colon and rectum. Parts of it are attached to the abdominal wall by mesocolon.
Volvulus: A twisting of an intestinal segment around its mesentery, potentially obstructing the bowel and its blood supply. The mesenteric attachment provides the axis around which the bowel can twist.
J. Calvin Coffey: An Irish surgeon who studied the mesentery and its continuity across the abdominal cavity. His research helped renew debate about the mesentery’s organization as a continuous structure.
Lesser omentum: A peritoneal fold connecting the liver to the lesser curvature of the stomach and the proximal duodenum. Its attachments and contents differ from those of the intestinal mesentery.

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