mesentery

(noun)

The membrane that attaches the intestines to the wall of the abdomen and maintains their position in the abdominal cavity to supply them with blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatics.

Related Terms

Examples of mesentery in the following topics:

  • Lymphatic Tissue Development

    • The next lymph sac to appear is the unpaired retroperitoneal lymph sac at the root of the mesentery of the intestine.
    • The spleen develops from mesenchymal cells between layers of the dorsal mesentery of the stomach.

  • The Peritoneum

    • The term mesentery is often used to refer to a double layer of visceral peritoneum.
    • The structures in the abdomen are classified as intraperitoneal, retroperitoneal, or infraperitoneal depending on whether they are covered with visceral peritoneum and are attached by mesenteries, such as the mensentery and mesocolon.
    • Some structures, such as the kidneys, are primarily retroperitoneal, while others such as the majority of the duodenum, are secondarily retroperitoneal, meaning that structure developed intraperitoneally, but lost its mesentery and thus became retroperitoneal.

  • Anatomy of the Pancreas

    • In teleosts, and a few other species (such as rabbits), there is no discrete pancreas at all, with pancreatic tissue being distributed diffusely across the mesentery and even within other nearby organs, such as the liver or spleen.

  • Ectopic Pregnancy

    • This is generally bowel or mesentery, but other sites, such as the renal (kidney), liver or hepatic (liver) artery or even aorta have been described.

  • Body Cavity Membranes

    • The mesothelium is a membrane that forms the lining of several body cavities: the pleura (thoracic cavity), peritoneum (abdominal cavity including the mesentery) and pericardium (heart sac).