Arterial arcades

Artery: Arterial arcades
Loop of small intestine showing distribution of intestinal arteries.
Gray's	subject #248 1175

Arterial arcades are loops of arteries around the jejunum and ileum.

Nearest the duodenum the mesenteric loops are primary, the vasa recta are long and regular in distribution, and the translucent spaces (lunettes) are extensive.

Toward the ileocolic junction, secondary and tertiary loops are observed, the vessels are smaller and become obscured by numerous fat-tabs.

The diagrams below show the arrangement and variations of the loops of the mesenteric vessels for various segments of the small intestine of average length:

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See also

• Intestinal arteries

External links

• SUNY Labs 39:04-0102 - "Intestines and Pancreas: Branches of Superior Mesenteric Artery"
• SUNY Anatomy Image 7916

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.