THE ABDOMINAL AORTA 663 



divides at the lower border of this viscus into two branches, the right gastro- 

 epiploic (a. gastroepiploica dextra) and the superior pancreaticoduodenal. Previous 

 to its division, it gives off two or three small inferior pyloric branches, to the pyloric 

 end of the stomach and pancreas. 



The right gastroepiploic runs from right to left along the greater curvature of 

 the stomach, between the layers of the great omentum, anastomosing about the 

 middle of the lower border of the stomach with the left gastroepiploic from the 

 splenic artery This vessel gives off numerous branches, some of which ascend 

 to supply both surfaces of the stomach, while others descend to supply the great 

 omentum (rami epiploici). 



The superior pancreaticoduodenal (a. pancreaticoduodenalis superior) descends 

 between the contiguous margins of the duodenum and pancreas. It supplies 

 the head of the pancreas by means of the rami pancreatica, and the duodenum by 

 means of the rami duodenalis, and anastomoses with the inferior pancreatico- 

 duodenal branch of the superior mesenteric artery and with the pancreatic branches 

 of the splenic. 



The cystic artery (a. cystica) (Fig. 468), usually a branch of the right hepatic, 

 passes downward and forward along the cystic duct to the gall-bladder and divides 

 into two branches, one of which ramifies on its free surface beneath the peritoneum, 

 the other between the gall-bladder and the substance of the liver. 



The splenic artery (a. lienalis) (Figs. 468 and 469), in the adult, is the largest of 

 the three branches of the coeliac axis, and is remarkable for the extreme tortuosity 

 of its course. It passes horizontally to the left side, behind the peritoneum and 

 along the upper border of the pancreas, accompanied by the splenic vein, which 

 lies below it; it crosses in front of the upper part of the left kidney, and on arriving 

 near the spleen divides into branches, some of which enter the hilum of that 

 organ between the two layers of the lienorenal ligament to be distributed to its 

 structure; some branches, given off along its course, are distributed to the pan- 

 creas, while others pass to the greater curvature of the stomach between the two 

 layers of the gastrosplenic omentum. Its branches are: 



Pancreatic. Vasa brevia. 



Left gastroepiploic. 



The pancreatic branches (rami pancreatici) are numerous small branches 

 derived from the splenic as it runs behind the upper border of the pancreas, 

 supplying its middle and left parts. One of these, larger than the rest, is sometimes 

 given off from the splenic near the left extremity of the pancreas; it runs from 

 left to right near the posterior surface of the gland, following the course of the 

 pancreatic duct, and is called the pancreatica magna. These vessels anastomose 

 with the pancreatic branches of the pancreaticoduodenal arteries, derived from 

 the hepatic on the one hand and the superior mesenteric on the other. 



The vasa brevia (era. gastricae breves) consist of from five to seven small branches, 

 which arise either from the end of the splenic artery or from its terminal branches. 

 They pass from left to right, between the layers of the gastrosplenic omentum, 

 are distributed to the greater curvature of the stomach, anastomosing with branches 

 of the gastric and left gastroepiploic arteries. 



The left gastroepiploic (a. gastroepiploica sinistra), the largest branch of the 

 splenic, runs from left to right along but distinctly below the greater curvature 

 of the stomach, between the layers of the great omentum, and anastomoses with 

 the right gastroepiploic. In its course it distributes several ascending branches 

 to both surfaces of the stomach; others descend to supply the greater omentum. 



Applied Anatomy. The operation of pyloredomy can be made an almost bloodless pro- 

 cedure by tying the gastric, the pyloric, and the right and left gastroepiploic arteries. "The 



