Middle colic artery

Middle colic artery
File:Gray537.png The superior mesenteric artery and its branches. (Middle colic visible at center top.)
Colonic blood supply (Middle colic artery is #6)
Details
Latin	arteria colica media
Source	superior mesenteric artery
Vein	Middle colic vein
Supplies	transverse colon
Identifiers
MeSH	12153955
TA
TH	{{#property:P1694}}
TE	{{#property:P1693}}
FMA	{{#property:P1402}}
Anatomical terminology [[[d:|edit on Wikidata]]]

The middle colic artery is a branch of the superior mesenteric artery that mostly supplies the transverse colon. It arises just below the pancreas. It passes inferiorly and anteriorly between the layers of the transverse mesocolon, and divides into left and right branches. The right branch anastomoses with the right colic artery, and the left anastomoses with the left colic artery, a branch of the inferior mesenteric artery. This sequence of anastomses are frequently referred to as the marginal artery of the colon.

The arches thus formed are placed about two fingers’ breadth from the transverse colon, to which they distribute branches.

See also

• marginal artery of the colon

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

External links

• Anatomy photo:39:03-0101 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Intestines and Pancreas: Branches of Superior Mesenteric Artery"
• Anatomy image:8579 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center
• sup&infmesentericart at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University)