184 Anatomy of the Rabbit. 



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 inferiores) , are given off 

 from the anterior wall of the coeliac and are distributed to the 

 diaphragm. The distribution of the main branches is as follows: 



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

 spleen, giving off small branches (r.r. 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 surface, or 

 hilus, of the spleen it gives off several splenic branches 

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

 comparable to the short' gastric arteries, to the greater 

 curvature. Toward the end of the spleen the artery passes 

 into the greater omentum, and at this point there is given off 

 a large vessel, the left gastroepiploic artery (a. gastroe- 

 piploica 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 oesphagus, while that on the right bears 

 a small pyloric branch which anastomoses across the lesser 

 curvature with the right gastric artery. 



The chief nerves of the coeliac plexus accompany the branches of 

 the artery to the stomach where they connect with the terminal rami- 

 fications of the vagus (p. 185). 



