mesenteriska

Mesenteriska is an adjective relating to the mesentery, a peritoneal fold that attaches the intestines to the posterior abdominal wall. The mesentery is a double layer of peritoneum that encloses blood vessels, nerves, lymphatics, and adipose tissue, providing a conduit for vascular and neural supply while stabilizing the intestinal loops.

Anatomy and organization: The small intestine is suspended by the mesentery proper, which extends obliquely from the left side of the third lumbar vertebra to the ileocecal region. In addition to this, organ-specific mesenteries include the transverse mesocolon and the sigmoid mesocolon. The dorsal mesentery gives rise to most adult mesenteries, while the ventral mesentery largely regresses, leaving structures such as the falciform ligament and the lesser omentum in the upper abdomen.

Contents: The mesentery contains the superior mesenteric artery and vein and their branches, autonomic nerves, mesenteric lymph nodes, lymphatic vessels, and varying amounts of fat. It also serves as a continuous pathway for immune and inflammatory cells between the gut and the systemic circulation.

Functions and clinical relevance: The mesentery supports intestinal positioning, provides routes for blood supply and innervation, and participates in immune defense via contained lymphatic tissue. Clinically important conditions include mesenteric ischemia from arterial occlusion, mesenteric venous thrombosis, mesenteric volvulus with twisting of the intestinal root, and inflammatory states such as mesenteritis or mesenteric panniculitis. Mesenteric defects can also give rise to internal hernias.

Etymology and usage: The term mesenteriska is used in some languages as the adjective form; in English, mesenteric or mesentery is standard.