40 DISSECTION OF THE DOG 



A. hepatica. — The hepatic artery is far from being exclusively devoted 

 to the supply of the liver. Indeed, the greater part of the blood which it 

 carries is destined for the stomach, the duodenum, and the pancreas. Passing 

 in a cranial and ventral direction, the artery reaches the porta of the liver, where 

 it furnishes a variable number (2-5) of proper hepatic arteries (aa. hepaticae 

 proprise) to the liver. Soon after the origin of the last branch to the liver, 

 it contributes a right gastric artery (a. gastrica dextra), which anastomoses with 

 the left artery of the same name on the lesser curvature of the stomach. About 

 the same point there is commonly a pancreatic branch. 



The hepatic artery continues from the porta in the lesser omentum and 

 arrives in the neighbourhood of the pylorus, where it terminates as the gastro- 

 duodenal artery (a. gastro-duodenalis), which, in its turn, ends by dividing 

 into right gastro-epiploic (a. gastro-epiploica dextra) and pancreatico-duodenal 

 (a. pancreatico-duodenalis) arteries. The former supplies numerous branches 

 in the region of the pylorus and then follows the greater curvature of the 

 stomach in the ventral layer of the greater omentum, to anastomose with the left 

 gastro-epiploic branch of the splenic artery. 



The pancreatico-duodenal artery, somewhat larger than the gastro-epiploic, 

 follows the lesser curvature of the duodenum. It supplies the duodenum and 

 the adjacent limb of the pancreas, and ends by anastomosing with the first 

 intestinal artery. 



A. gasteica sinistra. — The left gastric artery is mainly concerned in the 

 supply of the left part of the stomach. One of its branches follows the lesser 

 curvature and anastomoses with the right gastric branch of the hepatic artery. 

 Another branch passes along the oesophagus (ramus oesophageus) into the 

 thorax. 



A. uenaiis. — The splenic artery runs towards the left, dorsal to the pan- 

 creas, and in the dorsal layer of the greater omentum. Its terminal branches 

 supply the ventral extremity of the spleen, and its collateral branches of 

 moment are two in number, the gastro-lienal and the left gastro-epiploic arteries. 

 The former (a. gastro-lienalis) terminates in the dorsal end of the spleen and 

 contributes twigs to the stomach. The left gastro-epiploic artery (a. gastro- 

 epiploica sinistra) ramifies over the greater curvature of the stomach and 

 finally anastomoses with the right artery of the same name. 



The splenic artery supplies several branches (rami pancreatici) to the left 

 limb of the pancreas. 



Vena portje. — Since it drains the intestines, stomach, spleen, and pancreas, 

 the portal vein is a vessel of great importance. Found ventral to and to the 

 right of the origin of the cceliac artery, the vein is formed by the union of two 

 venous trunks of considerable size. One of these results from the junction 

 of the splenic and gastric veins, which, in the main, are satellites of the arteries 

 of the same name. The other trunk is produced by the union of the cranial 

 and caudal mesenteric veins, also satellites of the homonymous arteries. 



