Gastroepiploic Veins, Anterior View

Description

Centered in the upper abdomen, the right and left gastroepiploic (gastro-omental) veins course along the greater curvature of the stomach within the greater omentum, running inferior to the gastric wall and superficial to the transverse colon. Along their path they receive tributaries from the omentum and adjacent gastric and epiploic tissues, then converge toward the left where the venous channel tracks medially to join the splenic vein posterior to the stomach. Surrounding context in this anterior view commonly includes the stomach body and antrum superiorly, loops of small intestine centrally and inferiorly, and the large intestine framing the periphery, with accompanying arteries and adjacent yellow-coded nerves or lymphatics. Venous drainage from the greater curvature matters because it maps directly onto the portal system and its common surgical and endoscopic bleeding patterns. Portal hypertension can dilate tributaries along the gastroepiploic arcade and short gastric territory, contributing to upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage that may be encountered during workup for cirrhosis or portal vein obstruction. For operative planning, this view aligns with the dissection plane used in gastrectomy and omentectomy, where the right gastroepiploic vessels near the pyloric region and the left gastroepiploic near the splenic hilum are ligated while protecting adjacent pancreatic and colonic attachments. Use this artwork in gross anatomy teaching of foregut and portal venous anatomy, in surgical education for distal gastrectomy, sleeve gastrectomy, or colectomy mobilization, and in medical publishing to illustrate venous drainage pathways of the stomach and greater omentum with clear anterior orientation. It also supports clinical graphics for radiology and gastroenterology discussions of portosystemic collateral formation and sources of gastric bleeding. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.