| Artery: Left colic artery | |
|---|---|
| The inferior mesenteric artery and its branches. (Left colic visible at center right.) | |
| Sigmoid colon and rectum, showing distribution of branches of inferior mesenteric artery and their anastomoses. (Left colic visible at center left.) | |
| Latin | arteria colica sinistra |
| Gray's | subject #154 610 |
| Supplies | descending colon |
| Source | inferior mesenteric |
| Vein | left colic vein |
The left colic artery is a branch of the inferior mesenteric artery that runs to the left behind the peritoneum and in front of the psoas major muscle, and after a short, but variable, course divides into an ascending and a descending branch; the stem of the artery or its branches cross the left ureter and left internal spermatic vessels.
The ascending branch crosses in front of the left kidney and ends, between the two layers of the transverse mesocolon, by anastomosing with the middle colic artery; the descending branch anastomoses with the highest sigmoid artery.
From the arches formed by these anastomoses branches are distributed to the descending colon and the left part of the transverse colon.
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 As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.
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