Mesentery | |
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![]() Mesentery extending from the duodenojejunal flexure to the ileocecal junction | |
Details | |
Pronunciation | /ˈmɛzənˌtɛri/ |
System | Digestive system |
Identifiers | |
Latin | mesenterium |
MeSH | D008643 |
TA98 | A10.1.02.007 |
TA2 | 3740 |
FMA | 7144 |
Anatomical terminology |
In human anatomy, the mesentery, an organ that attaches the intestines to the posterior abdominal wall, comprises the double fold of the peritoneum. It helps (among other functions) in storing fat and allowing blood vessels, lymphatics, and nerves to supply the intestines.[1]
The mesocolon (the part of the mesentery that attaches the colon to the abdominal wall) was formerly thought to be a fragmented structure, with all named parts—the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid mesocolons, the mesoappendix, and the mesorectum—separately terminating their insertion into the posterior abdominal wall.[2] However, in 2012, new microscopic and electron microscopic examinations showed the mesocolon to be a single structure derived from the duodenojejunal flexure and extending to the distal mesorectal layer.[2][3] Thus the mesentery is an internal organ.[4][5]