Omental bursa



Bursa omentalis is a blind pocket behind the omentum minus and behind the stomach in the posterior part of the supramesocolic part of the peritoneal cavity. The entrance to the bursa omentalis is called the foramen omentale .

Boundaries of bursa omentalis :

 * ventrally: the stomach and its hinges, i.e. the omentum minus (arising from the mesogastrium ventrale ) and lig. gastrocolicum (part of the omentum majus arising from the mesogastrium dorsale );
 * dorsally: parietal peritoneum, behind which are the duodenum , pancreas , diaphragm , left kidney and adrenal gland ;
 * cranially: visceral surface of the liver, left diaphragmatic vault;
 * caudally: colon transversum and its hinge – mesocolon transversum ;
 * left: spleen and its hinges, i.e. lig. gastrophrenicum, lig. gastrolienale , in which aa. gastricae breves , lig. phrenicolienale and lig. phrenicocolicum ;
 * right: entrance to the omental bursa called the foramen omentale (epiploicum) of Winslow (communication between the bursa and the spatium subhepaticum dextrum – the so-called Morrison's space).

Boundary of the foramen omentale :

 * ventrally: lig. hepatoduodenale, through which v. portae (back), a. hepatica propria (front left) and ductus choledochus (front right);
 * dorsally: v. cava inferior and lig. hepatorenal ;
 * cranial: lobus caudatus hepatis ;
 * caudally: upper edge of pars superior duodeni and non-constant peritoneal fold - lig. duodenorenal.

Parts of bursa omentalis :

 * 1) vestibulum – between the minus omentum and the head of the pancreas, up from it behind the liver , between the esophagus and the inferior vena cava, the recessus superior extends ;
 * 2) isthmus – is conditioned by the curvature of the pancreas and liver in the omental tubera, peritoneal folds with blood vessels emerge from the omental tubera ( plica hepatopancreatica – contains a. hepatica communis , plica gastropancreatica – contains a. gastrica sinistra );
 * 3) own bursa omentalis – runs in the recessus superior (cranially between the liver and the esophagus), the recessus inferior (between the stomach and the mesocolon transversum ) and in the recessus lienalis (to the left of the hilum of the spleen and along the upper side of the pancreas, where the a. lienalis runs in the peritoneal fold – plica pancreaticolienalis ).

related articles

 * Peritoneum
 * Omental foramen
 * Surgical approaches to the pancreas