Anatomy
High yield
Stomach: surgical anatomy
J-shaped foregut organ from the cardia (T11) to the pylorus (L1); antrum lacks parietal and chief cells.
High yield
Blood supply of the stomach
Five named arteries from the coeliac trunk form lesser and greater curvature arcades; veins drain to the portal system.
High yield
Vagal innervation of the stomach
Anterior (left) and posterior (right) vagal trunks give hepatic, coeliac and gastric divisions; nerves of Latarjet supply the antrum.
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Duodenum: surgical anatomy
C-shaped, 25–30 cm, from pylorus to duodenojejunal flexure around the pancreatic head; retroperitoneal except the first 2.5 cm.
High yield
Blood supply of the duodenum
Anterior and posterior pancreaticoduodenal arcades join the gastroduodenal artery (coeliac) to the superior mesenteric artery.
High yield
Lymphatic drainage of the stomach and duodenum
Gastric lymph follows the arteries through 20 numbered stations to the coeliac nodes; duodenal lymph drains to pancreaticoduodenal nodes.
Basis cranii: the cerebral fossae
The anterior, middle and posterior cranial fossae and what passes through them.
High yield
The abdominal aorta
Leaves through the aortic hiatus at T12 and supplies every abdominal organ.
Celiac trunk
Supplies the stomach, liver, pancreas, spleen and the first two parts of the duodenum, at T12.
Superior mesenteric artery
The artery of the midgut, from the third part of the duodenum to the proximal transverse colon.
Inferior mesenteric artery
The artery of the hindgut. Arises at L3 and runs slightly to the left of the aorta.
External iliac artery
Continues as the femoral artery and gives off the inferior epigastric and deep circumflex iliac arteries.
Internal iliac artery
The main artery of the pelvis, its anterior and posterior divisions and their branches.
Liver blood supply and drainage
The liver’s dual blood supply: the hepatic artery brings about 25% of the flow, the portal vein the rest.
Popliteal fossa
The diamond-shaped space behind the knee, home of Baker’s cysts. Key to safe access to the knee joint.
Morrison’s pouch
The hepatorenal pouch: a potential space between the liver and right kidney in the supramesocolic compartment.
Cantlie’s line: a brief overview
The plane that divides the liver into functional left and right lobes, central to hepatectomy.
Layers in a chest drain insertion
The layers you pass through when placing a chest drain for haemothorax, pneumothorax or effusion.