Plexus on the Gastroepiploic Artery and Its Nerve Branches, Anterior View

Description

Running along the greater curvature of the stomach, the right and left gastroepiploic (gastro-omental) arteries course within the greater omentum, and an accompanying periarterial nerve plexus tracks tightly on the arterial adventitia. Fine nerve branches fan anteriorly and inferiorly into the omental fat and toward the antral and pyloric regions, with smaller twigs following arterioles to the gastric wall. Proximally, the arterial arcade sits inferior to the costal margin and anterior to the pancreas, while distally its terminal branches remain lateral to the gastric body as they approach the splenic hilum on the left and the gastroduodenal region on the right. Close apposition is the point. For surgeons, this anatomy becomes concrete during distal gastrectomy, antrectomy, and omentectomy, where division of the gastroepiploic vessels risks traction or thermal injury to the periarterial autonomic fibers that modulate gastric motility and microvascular tone. Lymphadenectomy for gastric carcinoma often proceeds along the gastroepiploic chain, and recognizing the nerve plexus clinging to the artery helps explain why dissection in the correct plane preserves neurovascular integrity while still clearing nodal tissue. This anterior view supports orientation during open and laparoscopic approaches, where the greater omentum is reflected to expose the gastroepiploic arcade. Ideal for upper GI anatomy teaching in medical and surgical training, this artwork also fits operative atlases, oncology references discussing nodal basins along the greater curvature, and patient-facing materials explaining why omental mobilization can change postoperative gastric emptying. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.