Quick Facts
The omental appendices are peritoneum-covered tabs of fat, 2 to 10 cm long, attached in rows along the taeniae of the colon (Dorland, 2011).
Related parts of the anatomy
Structure/Morphology
Omental appendices are pouches of peritoneum that are filled with fat (Moore, Dalley and Agur, 2013). They are attached to the external surface of the colon, opposite the side that the mesentery arising from the posterior abdominal wall attaches to.
Anatomical Relations
The appendices are absent or sparse on the cecum and the ascending colon. However, they increase in frequency along the distal colon, particularly on the surface of the sigmoid colon (Standring, 2016). In contrast, the rectum does not have omental appendices. The omental appendices receive vascular supply from the vessels that enter the wall of the colon.
References
Dorland, W. (2011) Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. 32nd edn. Philadelphia, USA: Elsevier Saunders.
Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F. and Agur, A. M. R. (2013) Clinically Oriented Anatomy. Clinically Oriented Anatomy 7th edn.: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series: Elsevier Limited.
