ARTERIES OF THE STOMACH 229 



The details of this pattern vary considerably in different 

 individuals but the parts supplied by the respective branches are 

 constant. 



The coeliac artery (a. coeliaca) is a short trunk, its first main 

 branch, the splenic artery, being given off near its origin from the 

 aorta. The remaining portion of the vessel passes to the right in 

 the direction of the lesser curvature, and divides into two parts, 

 the left gastric and hepatic arteries. Small vessels, the inferior 

 phrenic arteries (aa. phrenicae inferores), are given off from the 

 anterior wall of the coeliac and are distributed to the diaphragm. 

 The distribution of the main branches is as follow^s: 



{a) The splenic artery (a. lienalis) passes in the direction of 

 the spleen, giving off small branches (rr. pancreatici) to 

 the pancreas and . one or more large vessels, the short 

 gastric arteries (aa. gastricae breves), to the left portion 

 of the greater curvature. Passing along the concave sur- 

 face, or hilus, of the spleen, it gives off several splenic 

 branches (rr. lienales) to that organ, and also several more 

 short gastric arteries, to the greater curvature. Toward the 

 end of the spleen the splenic artery passes into the free fold of 

 the greater omentum as the slender omental artery, and near 

 this point there is given off a large vessel, the left gastro- 

 epiploic artery (a. gastroepiploica sinistra), which passes 

 to the right on the greater curvature and anastomoses with 

 the right gastroepiploic artery. 



The gastrosplenic ligament, together with its vessels, 

 may be divided, the spleen being allowed to fall backward 

 toward the intestine. 

 {b) The left gastric artery (a. gastrica sinistra) forms a short 

 trunk, or more commonly a group of vessels, the branches 

 of which pass in a somewhat radiate manner toward the 

 lesser curvature of the stomach, reaching in this way both 

 dorsal and ventral surfaces. Two larger vessels appear on 

 the ventral surface respectively to the right and left of the 

 cardia. That on the left distributes small branches (rr. 

 oesophagei) to the oesophagus, while that on the right bears 

 a small pyloric branch which anastomoses across the lesser 

 curvature with the right gastric artery. 



