Quick Facts
Origin: Abdominal aorta.
Course: Very short anteroinferior course.
Branches: Left gastric, splenic, and common hepatic arteries.
Supplied Structures: Structures of the foregut.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The celiac trunk is an unpaired artery that arises from the anterior abdominal aorta. It originates immediately inferior to the aortic hiatus at the level of the twelfth thoracic and first lumbar (T12-L1) intervertebral disc.
Course
The artery travels in an anteroinferior direction for approximately 1.25 cm. It is located deep to the lesser omentum.
Branches
The celiac trunk gives off three branches. The first is the left gastric artery which ascends towards the esophageal hiatus and supplies the abdominal esophagus. It then descends along the lesser curvature of the stomach. The second branch of the celiac trunk is the splenic artery. It courses laterally towards the spleen, posterior to the pancreas. The common hepatic artery is the final branch of the celiac trunk. It travels laterally towards the liver and biliary apparatus.
Supplied Structures
The branches of the celiac trunk supply the foregut and associated structures. This includes the abdominal esophagus, stomach, and a portion of the duodenum as far as the major duodenal papilla.
In addition, the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen are all supplied by branches of the celiac trunk. It is common for organs of the digestive tract to receive blood supply from more than one source. For example, the stomach is supplied by all three branches of the celiac trunk.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Celiac Artery
The celiac axis is the largest branch of the aorta at the level of the 12th thoracic vertebra and arises at a right angle from the anterior aspect of the abdominal aorta.
