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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 invertebrates
In invertebrate animals, the term mesentery is also used for any tissue that divides the body cavity (coelom) into partitions.
External links
Transcavitat dels epiplons | Gekröse | Mesenterio | Mésentère | Mesentere
"Mesentery"