The right gastroepiploic artery (or right gastro-omental artery) is one of the two terminal branches of the

gastroduodenal artery In anatomy, the gastroduodenal artery is a small blood vessel in the abdomen. It supplies blood directly to the pylorus (distal part of the stomach) and proximal part of the duodenum. It also indirectly supplies the pancreatic head (via the anterio ...

. It runs from right to left along the

greater curvature The curvatures of the stomach refer to the greater and lesser curvatures. The greater curvature of the stomach is four or five times as long as the lesser curvature. Greater curvature The greater curvature of the stomach forms the lower lef ...

of the

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...

, between the layers of the

greater omentum The greater omentum (also the great omentum, omentum majus, gastrocolic omentum, epiploon, or, especially in animals, caul) is a large apron-like fold of visceral peritoneum that hangs down from the stomach. It extends from the greater curvature ...

, anastomosing with the left gastroepiploic artery, a branch of the

splenic artery In human anatomy, the splenic artery or lienal artery is the blood vessel that supplies oxygenated blood to the spleen. It branches from the celiac artery, and follows a course superior to the pancreas. It is known for its tortuous path to the s ...

Except at the

pylorus The pylorus ( or ), or pyloric part, connects the stomach to the duodenum. The pylorus is considered as having two parts, the ''pyloric antrum'' (opening to the body of the stomach) and the ''pyloric canal'' (opening to the duodenum). The ''pylori ...

where it is in contact with the stomach, it lies about a finger's breadth from the greater curvature.

Branches

This vessel gives off numerous branches: * "gastric branches": ascend to supply both surfaces of the

. * "omental branches": descend to supply the

and anastomose with branches of the

middle colic The middle colic artery is an artery of the abdomen; a branch of the superior mesenteric artery distributed to parts of the ascending and transverse colon. It usually divides into two terminal branches - a left one and a right one - which go on ...

Use in coronary artery surgery

The right gastroepiploic artery was first used as a

coronary artery bypass graft Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage") is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest pai ...

(CABG) in 1984 by John Pym and colleagues at Queen's University. It has become an accepted alternative conduit, and is particularly useful in patients who do not have suitable saphenous veins to harvest for grafts. The right gastroepiploic artery is typically used as a graft to coronary arteries on the posterior wall of the heart such as the

right coronary artery In the blood supply of the heart, the right coronary artery (RCA) is an artery originating above the right cusp of the aortic valve, at the right aortic sinus in the heart. It travels down the right coronary sulcus, towards the crux of the hea ...

and the posterior descending branch.

References

External links

* - "Branches of the celiac trunk." * - "Stomach, Spleen and Liver: The Right and Left Gastroepiploic Artery" * {{Authority control Arteries of the abdomen Stomach