Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
peritoneal relations
+
vertical disposition
Learning objectives
At the end of this lecture students should be able to:
define peritoneum
Peritoneum; Definition
Peritoneum" is derived from Greek.
"Peri-" means "around", while "-ton-" refers to stretching.
Thus, peritoneuum means "stretched around" or "stretched over.
The peritoneum is a thin serous membrane that line the walls of the abdominal and pelvic
cavities and cover the organs within these cavities.
Peritoneum
Consists of two layers:
Parietal peritoneum
Lines the walls of the abdominal and pelvic cavities.
Visceral peritoneum
Covers the organs.
Peritoneal cavity
Is potential space between the parietal and visceral layer of peritoneum.
But in the female, there is a communication with the exterior through the uterine tubes,
the uterus, and vagina
Peritoneal cavity
It is filled with a small amount (about 50 ml) of slippery serous fluid that allows the two
layers to slide freely over each other
Peritoneal folds
Some organs are mobile and are a suspended by folds of peritoneum providing mobility to
the organs and passage way to the vessels, nerves and lymphatics.
Double layered folds connecting anterior abdominal wall and organs, or organs to each
other are called ligaments e.g. ligaments of liver and gastrosplenic ligaments.
Parietal peritoneum
Lines inner surface of abdomen and pelvic walls and lower surface of diaphragm.
Over expansile parts it is loose and cellular i.e. transversalis fascia and thick i.e. iliac fascia
psoas, fascia and pelvic fascia.
Pain sensitive.
Visceral peritoneum
Mesentery ;
For example, stomach, superior part of duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, vermiform
appendix, transverse and sigmoid colons, spleen and ovary.
Retroperitoneal viscera
For example, kidney, suprarenal gland, pancreas, descending and horizontal parts of
duodenum, middle and lower parts of rectum, and ureter
Functions of peritoneum
Provides slippery surface for movements of viscera.
Mesothelial cells of peritoneum can transform into fibroblasts which promote healing
power.
The mesothelium acts as semi permeable membrane, metabolites like urea can be
removed from blood by artificially circulating fluids through peritoneal cavity, procedure is
called peritoneal dialysis.
Ventral mesogastrium.
a. Ventral part forms
1.Falciform ligament.
Dorsal mesogastrium.
Greater omentum
Four-layered fold of peritoneum, the anterior two layers descend from the greater
curvature of stomach and superior part of duodenum and hangs down like an apron in
front of coils of small intestine, and then turns upward and attaches to the transverse
colon.
If an infection occurs in the intestine, plasma cells formed in the lymph nodes combat the
infection and help prevent it from spreading to the peritoneum.
Greater omentum
y
Lesser omentum
Two-layered fold of peritoneum which extends from porta hepatis to lesser curvature
of stomach and superior part of duodenum
Hepatogastric ligament
Hepatoduodenal ligament
Contains common bile duct, proper hepatic artery and hepatic portal vein.
Epiploic foramen
Peritoneum from anterior abdominal wall lines the anterior and posterior surface of liver
except bare area.
Anterior layer and posterior layer forms anterior and posterior layers of lesser omentum
extending from liver to lesser curvature of stomach.
Anterior layer then covers anterior surface of stomach and then forms anterior layer of
greater omentum (first layer of greater omentum) then becomes fourth layer of greater
omentum.
Vertical tracings of peritoneum
Posterior layer lines posterior surface of stomach and forms second and third layer of
greater omentum and then lines upper part of posterior abdominal wall.
Anterior layer then passes around the colon to become its posterior layer.
Anterior layer of mesentry then passes around small intestine to become posterior layer.
In female passes in front of rectum and uterus forming rectouterine pouch and from
uterus to urinary bladder and forms vesicouterine pouch.
In male it passes in front of rectum to urinary bladder and forms rectovesicular pouch.
Lumbar vessels
Musculophrenic artery