Celiac artery

The celiac (/ˈsiːli.æk/) artery (also spelled coeliac in British English), also known as the celiac trunk, Haller's tripod or truncus coeliacus, is the first major branch of the abdominal aorta. It is about 1.27 cm (half an inch) in length. Branching from the aorta at the level of the T12-L1 intervertebral disc in typical anatomy, it is one of three anterior/midline branches of the abdominal aorta (the others are the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries).

The celiac artery is the first major branch of the descending abdominal aorta, branching at a 90° angle. This occurs just below the crus of the diaphragm. In typical anatomy, this is at the T12-L1 vertebral level.

There are three main divisions of the celiac artery, and each in turn has its own named branches:

The celiac artery may also give rise to the inferior phrenic arteries.^{[citation needed]}

The celiac artery supplies oxygenated blood to the liver, stomach, abdominal esophagus, spleen, and the superior half of both the duodenum and the pancreas. These structures correspond to the embryonic foregut. (Similarly, the superior mesenteric artery and inferior mesenteric artery feed structures arising from the embryonic midgut and hindgut respectively. Note that these three anterior branches of the abdominal aorta are distinct and cannot substitute for one another, although there are limited connections between their terminal branches.)

The celiac artery is an essential source of blood, since the interconnections with the other major arteries of the gut are not sufficient to sustain adequate perfusion. Thus it cannot be safely ligated in a living person, and obstruction of the celiac artery will lead to necrosis of the structures it supplies. ^{[citation needed]}

The celiac artery is the only major artery that nourishes the abdominal digestive organs that does not have a similarly named vein.

Most blood returning from the digestive organs (including from the area of distribution of the celiac artery) is diverted to the liver via the portal venous system for further processing and detoxification in the liver before returning to the systemic circulation via the hepatic veins.