Anatomy
Lecture 2 - The Gut And The Peritoneal Cavity
Compiled By Muchiri Simon
Edition: 2024/25
, Medical & Nursing | Anatomy I of VII pages
1. What cell type is the peritoneum made up of?
Simple squamous epithelium called mesothelium. It is then supported by a thin layer of areolar connective
2. What does the peritoneum do?
Lines the abdominal cavity and encloses the peritoneal cavity.
3. What is found in the peritoneal cavity?
It is a potential space so there is a small amount of fluid and nothing else.
4. Which abdominal organs lie above the abdominal cavity in the thoracic cage?
Liver
Gall bladder
Transverse colon
Spleen
Stomach
5. Which abdominal organs lie just below the abdominal cavity in the pelvic cavity?
Sigmoid colon
- Rectum
6. What tissue does the gut arise from?
Endoderm and splanchnic mesoderm.
7. How are intra-abdominal organs arranged in the abdominal cavity?
They are suspended form the posterior abdominal wall in peritoneal reflections called mesenteries (dorsal
8. What do the mesenteries do?
They are peritoneal folds that attach the viscera to the abdominal wall and contain blood vessels, nerves and
9. What lines the peritoneal cavity?
Parietal peritoneum lines the abdominal wall whilst the visceral peritoneum lines the suspended
10. What does retroperitoneal mean?
Refers to the structures such as the kidneys and the great vessels that lie between the parietal peritoneum and
11. What structures are retroperitoneal (originally)?
Kidneys and ureters
Suprarenal glands
Aorta and IVC
Nerves (lumbar plexus and sympathetic trunk)
Oesophagus
Rectum
12. Which structures were originally intra-peritoneal but became secondarily retroperitoneal?
Duodenum (apart from first part)
Pancreas (except tail)
Colon (ascending and descending only)
Anatomy 2024/25 Edition
Lecture 2 - The Gut And The Peritoneal Cavity
Compiled By Muchiri Simon
Edition: 2024/25
, Medical & Nursing | Anatomy I of VII pages
1. What cell type is the peritoneum made up of?
Simple squamous epithelium called mesothelium. It is then supported by a thin layer of areolar connective
2. What does the peritoneum do?
Lines the abdominal cavity and encloses the peritoneal cavity.
3. What is found in the peritoneal cavity?
It is a potential space so there is a small amount of fluid and nothing else.
4. Which abdominal organs lie above the abdominal cavity in the thoracic cage?
Liver
Gall bladder
Transverse colon
Spleen
Stomach
5. Which abdominal organs lie just below the abdominal cavity in the pelvic cavity?
Sigmoid colon
- Rectum
6. What tissue does the gut arise from?
Endoderm and splanchnic mesoderm.
7. How are intra-abdominal organs arranged in the abdominal cavity?
They are suspended form the posterior abdominal wall in peritoneal reflections called mesenteries (dorsal
8. What do the mesenteries do?
They are peritoneal folds that attach the viscera to the abdominal wall and contain blood vessels, nerves and
9. What lines the peritoneal cavity?
Parietal peritoneum lines the abdominal wall whilst the visceral peritoneum lines the suspended
10. What does retroperitoneal mean?
Refers to the structures such as the kidneys and the great vessels that lie between the parietal peritoneum and
11. What structures are retroperitoneal (originally)?
Kidneys and ureters
Suprarenal glands
Aorta and IVC
Nerves (lumbar plexus and sympathetic trunk)
Oesophagus
Rectum
12. Which structures were originally intra-peritoneal but became secondarily retroperitoneal?
Duodenum (apart from first part)
Pancreas (except tail)
Colon (ascending and descending only)
Anatomy 2024/25 Edition
