THE ABDOMEN 741 



anastomose with branches of the left gastro-epiploic and gastric 

 arteries. The splenic branches are about five in number, and pass 

 to the spleen within the lieno-renal ligament. 



The splenic vein is formed by the imion of about five veins 

 which emerge from the spleen. It is of large size, and passes 

 from left to right behind the pancreas near its superior border, 

 where it lies below the splenic artery. Having crossed the aorta, 

 it joins the superior mesenteric vein to form the vena portae behind 

 the neck of the pancreas. The vein takes up the following 

 tributaries : the vasa brevia, the left gastro-epiploic, many pan- 

 creatic veins, and the inferior mesenteric (as a rule). 



The hepatic artery passes at first to the right along the superior 

 border of the pancreas for a short distance, where it lies behind 

 the small sac. It then turns forwards below the foramen of 

 Winslow to the upper border of the first part of the duodenum 

 near the pylorus, and it subsequently ascends between the two 

 layers of the gastro-hepatic omentum in front of the foramen of 

 Winslow towards the portal fissure of the liver, on approaching 

 which it divides into a right and left hepatic branch. The vessel is 

 accompanied by the hepatic sympathetic plexus. As it ascends 

 between the two layers of the gastro-hepatic omentum it has the 

 common bile-duct on its right side, the vena portae being behind 

 both. 



Branches. — ^These are pyloric, gastro-duodenal, and right and 

 left hepatic. The Pyloric artery, of small size, arises near the 

 pylorus, and passes to the small curvature of the stomach, where 

 it divides into two branches. These lie between the two layers 

 of the gastro-hepatic omentmn, and supply offsets to the front and 

 back of the stomach. They anastomose with the two divisions 

 of the gastric artery. The gastro-duodenal artery also arises near 

 the pylorus, and descends behind the first part of the duodenum, 

 having the common bile-duct on its right, and the vena portae 

 behind it. Having reached the lower border of the first part of the 

 duodenum, it occupies a groove on the right of the neck of the 

 pancreas, and here divides into its two terminal branches — right 

 gastro-epiploic and superior pancreatico-duodenal. The right 

 gastro-epiploic artery passes from right to left along the great 

 curvature of the stomach as far as its centre between the two layers 

 of the gastro-colic omentum, and its distribution and anastomoses 

 are similar to those of the left gastro-epiploic artery. The superior 

 pancreatico-duodenal artery descends anteriorly between the head of 

 the pancreas and the second part of the duodenum, towards the lower 

 end of which latter it anastomoses with the inferior pancreatico- 

 duodenal of the superior mesenteric. It supplies the first and 

 second parts of the duodenum, and furnishes branches to the 

 adjacent portion of the pancreas. The hepatic branches are the 

 terminal divisions of the trunk. The right, which is the larger, enters 

 the portal fissure at its right end, whilst the left, small in size, enters 

 that fissure at its left end, having previously furnished a branch to 



