Mesentery
In
anatomy, a
mesentery is a part of the
peritoneum that connects an
internal organ, such as the
small intestine, to the
abdominal wall.
The mesentery refers to the peritoneum responsible for connecting the
small intestines to the backwall. It does this by long veins branching out directly out of the center of the sack which enclose the organs. The organ receives its
blood supply,
lymph drainage and
nerves through the mesentery.
In vertebrates, the mesentery is attached to the back of the abdominal wall parallel to the spine and folding occurs after this development in the embryo, so that the intestines are free to move against one another without friction (see
serosa). However, as these organs can move within the cavity relatively freely, the brain cannot map sensation accurately, so sensation is usually referred to the midline (Ex.
Referred pain).
The dorsal mesentery is larger than the ventral mesentery, which is continuous with the
lesser omentum at the posterior end. (The dorsal mesentery is the one illustrated in the diagrams on this page.)
In invertebrate animals, the term
mesentery is also used for any tissue that divides the body cavity (coelom) into partitions.
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McGill
