Abdomen

Coeliac at T12, superior mesenteric at L1, renals at L2, inferior mesenteric at L3, bifurcation at L4

A memory aid for the branches of the abdominal aorta and their vertebral levels.

Usually infrarenal, palpable above the umbilicus, expansile rather than pulsatile

A memory aid for the usual location of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

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A mnemonic for the order of aortic branches from the diaphragm to the bifurcation.

Midline through the linea alba, gridiron at McBurney's point, Kocher for the gallbladder, Pfannenstiel for the pelvis

A memory aid for common abdominal incisions and the structures they respect.

Nodes follow the arteries, coeliac, superior mesenteric and inferior mesenteric groups

A memory aid for the nodal groups draining the abdominal viscera.

Superior and inferior epigastric arteries meet within the rectus sheath

A memory aid for the arteries supplying the anterior abdominal wall.

Skin, Camper's and Scarpa's fascia, three muscle layers, transversalis fascia, extraperitoneal fat, peritoneum

A memory aid for the layers of the anterior abdominal wall from skin to peritoneum.

T7 to T11 intercostal, T12 subcostal, L1 iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal

A memory aid for the segmental nerve supply of the anterior abdominal wall.

Superior from the inferior phrenic, middle from the aorta, inferior from the renal artery

A memory aid for the three arteries supplying each adrenal gland.

Glomerulosa makes aldosterone, fasciculata makes cortisol, reticularis makes androgens

A mnemonic for the three zones of the adrenal cortex and their products.

Union of the bile duct and main pancreatic duct opening into the second part of the duodenum

A memory aid for the hepatopancreatic ampulla and the sphincter of Oddi.

Internal sphincter is smooth muscle and involuntary; external is skeletal muscle and voluntary

A memory aid for the internal and external anal sphincters.

Inferior epigastric vessels laterally, aorta and iliac vessels beneath the umbilicus

A memory aid for the structures at risk during laparoscopic port insertion.

Liver, duodenum and colon in front of the right; stomach, pancreas, spleen and colon in front of the left

A memory aid for the structures in front of each kidney.

The anterior wall is supplied by anterior rami; the back muscles by posterior rami

A memory aid contrasting the segmental nerve supply of the abdominal wall front and back.

A single end artery running in the mesoappendix from the ileocolic artery

A memory aid for the blood supply of the appendix and why it undergoes gangrene.

Retrocaecal, pelvic, subcaecal, preileal and postileal

A mnemonic for the possible positions of the appendix.

The arcuate line is in the rectus sheath; the arcuate ligaments are on the diaphragm

A memory aid for distinguishing the similarly named arcuate structures of the abdomen.

Free fluid gravitates to the flanks while gas-filled bowel floats centrally

A memory aid for the anatomical basis of shifting dullness.

Right and left hepatic ducts join as the common hepatic duct, which the cystic duct joins to form the common bile duct

A memory aid for the sequence of the biliary ducts.

A smooth triangular area between the two ureteric orifices and the internal urethral meatus

A memory aid for the trigone and its distinct embryological origin.

Inguinal ligament above, sartorius laterally, adductor longus medially

A mnemonic for the boundaries and contents of the femoral triangle.

Cystic duct, common hepatic duct and the inferior border of the liver

A mnemonic for the boundaries of the hepatocystic triangle.

Camper's is the fatty Cushion, Scarpa's is the Sheet

A mnemonic for the two layers of superficial fascia of the abdominal wall.

Celiac trunk supplies foregut; SMA supplies midgut; IMA supplies hindgut

A simple memory aid for gut blood supply.

Fever, jaundice and right upper quadrant pain; add hypotension and confusion for the pentad

A mnemonic for the features of ascending cholangitis.

A lymphatic sac at L1 to L2 receiving the intestinal and lumbar lymph trunks

A memory aid for the origin of the thoracic duct in the abdomen.

The urorectal septum divides the cloaca into urogenital sinus in front and anorectal canal behind

A memory aid for the division of the cloaca and the origin of anorectal malformations.

Left gastric, splenic and common hepatic arteries

A mnemonic for the three branches of the coeliac trunk.

Caecum, ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid colon, with hepatic and splenic flexures

A memory aid for the parts of the colon and the position of its flexures.

Griffiths' point at the splenic flexure and Sudeck's point at the rectosigmoid junction

A memory aid for the two watershed areas of the colon.

Eight segments, each with its own portal inflow and biliary drainage

A memory aid for the functional segmental anatomy of the liver.

A palpable gallbladder with painless jaundice is unlikely to be due to stones

A memory aid for the significance of a palpable gallbladder in jaundice.

L1 and L2, afferent by the ilioinguinal nerve and efferent by the genitofemoral

A memory aid for the nerve roots and pathway of the cremasteric reflex.

Cullen's is periumbilical bruising; Grey Turner's is flank bruising

A mnemonic for the two bruising signs of retroperitoneal haemorrhage.

Indirect passes lateral to the inferior epigastric vessels; direct pushes through medial to them

A mnemonic for distinguishing direct from indirect inguinal hernias.

You can get above a kidney and ballotte it; you cannot with a spleen

A memory aid for telling an enlarged left kidney from an enlarged spleen.

Superior, descending, horizontal and ascending, 2, 8, 10 and 5 centimetres

A mnemonic for the four parts of the duodenum and their lengths.

Auerbach's myenteric plexus controls motility; Meissner's submucosal plexus controls secretion

A mnemonic for the two plexuses of the enteric nervous system.

Bile salts are reabsorbed in the terminal ileum and returned to the liver by the portal vein

A memory aid for the recycling of bile salts between gut and liver.

Portal triad in front, inferior vena cava behind, caudate lobe above, duodenum below

A memory aid for the boundaries of the foramen of Winslow.

The bare area is the part of the liver in direct contact with the diaphragm

A memory aid for the peritoneal covering of the liver and its gaps.

Inguinal ligament in front, pectineal ligament behind, lacunar ligament medially, femoral vein laterally

A mnemonic for the boundaries of the femoral ring.

Inguinal is above and medial to the pubic tubercle; femoral is below and lateral

A mnemonic for distinguishing femoral from inguinal hernias at the bedside.

Foregut to mid-duodenum, midgut to two-thirds of the transverse colon, hindgut to the upper rectum

A memory aid for which organs arise from each embryological gut segment.

Fundus, body, infundibulum and neck

A memory aid for the four parts of the gallbladder.

A large stone erodes into the duodenum and impacts at the terminal ileum

A memory aid for the anatomy of gallstone ileus and Rigler's triad.

Parietal cells make acid and intrinsic factor, chief cells make pepsinogen, G cells make gastrin

A memory aid for the secretory cells of the gastric mucosa.

Four main zones draining ultimately to the coeliac nodes

A memory aid for the lymphatic drainage of the stomach.

Anterior openings track radially; posterior openings curve to the midline

A mnemonic for predicting the course of an anal fistula tract.

The greater sac is the main cavity; the lesser sac lies behind the stomach

A memory aid for the two compartments of the peritoneal cavity.

A four-layered apron hanging from the greater curvature of the stomach

A memory aid for the attachments and function of the greater omentum.

Mucosa, submucosa, muscularis externa and serosa or adventitia

A memory aid for the four layers of the gastrointestinal wall.

Zone 1 is periportal and best oxygenated; zone 3 is centrilobular and most vulnerable

A memory aid for the three zones of the hepatic lobule and their vulnerability.

Sliding hernia moves the junction upwards; rolling hernia keeps it in place

A mnemonic for the two main types of hiatus hernia.

Absent ganglion cells starting at the rectum and extending proximally, with the narrow segment being the abnormal one

A memory aid for the anatomy of aganglionic megacolon.

The kidney ascends from the pelvis to the lumbar region, and a fused lower pole is caught by the inferior mesenteric artery

A memory aid for the embryological ascent of the kidney and the origin of a horseshoe kidney.

A one-way valve between ileum and caecum; a competent valve creates a closed loop

A memory aid for the ileocaecal valve and its role in bowel obstruction.

Left colic, sigmoid and superior rectal arteries

A memory aid for the branches of the inferior mesenteric artery.

Formed at L5 by the common iliac veins, receiving lumbar, gonadal, renal, adrenal, phrenic and hepatic veins

A memory aid for the tributaries of the inferior vena cava.

Lacunar and pectineal ligaments extend from the medial end of the inguinal ligament

A memory aid for the ligaments formed by the inguinal ligament.

One segment of bowel telescopes into the next, most often ileocolic

A memory aid for the anatomy of intussusception.

A wedge-shaped space between the anal canal and the ischium, containing fat and the pudendal canal

A memory aid for the fat-filled space beside the anal canal.

Jejunum is thicker walled with long vasa recta and few arcades; ileum is thinner with short vasa recta and many arcades

A memory aid for distinguishing jejunum from ileum.

From T12 to L3, with the right kidney lying lower than the left

A memory aid for the vertebral levels of the kidneys.

Taeniae coli, haustra and appendices epiploicae

A mnemonic for the three features distinguishing large from small bowel.

The left testicular vein drains at a right angle into the left renal vein

A memory aid for why varicoceles are almost always left-sided.

Hepatogastric and hepatoduodenal ligaments

A memory aid for the two parts of the lesser omentum.

A fibromuscular band suspending the duodenojejunal flexure from the right crus of the diaphragm

A memory aid for the suspensory ligament of the duodenum and its clinical importance.

A longitudinal plane about 1 cm behind the lateral convex border, between the anterior and posterior arterial divisions

A memory aid for the relatively avascular plane of the kidney.

Portal vein gives 75 per cent of flow, hepatic artery gives 50 per cent of oxygen

A memory aid for the two sources of hepatic blood flow.

Falciform, coronary, triangular and round ligaments, plus the ligamentum venosum

A memory aid for the peritoneal ligaments of the liver.

Upper border at the fifth intercostal space, lower border at the right costal margin

A memory aid for percussing the liver and defining hepatomegaly.

Petit's inferior triangle and Grynfeltt's superior triangle

A memory aid for the two lumbar triangles of the posterior abdominal wall.

Muscle Above, Aponeurosis Anterior, Ligament below, Transversalis fascia behind, 2 Ms, 2 As, 2 Ls, 2 Ts

A mnemonic for the boundaries of the inguinal canal.

A continuous anastomotic channel along the mesenteric border of the colon

A memory aid for the collateral artery running along the colon.

Two-thirds of the way along a line from the umbilicus to the right anterior superior iliac spine

A memory aid for the surface marking of the base of the appendix.

2 per cent, 2 feet from the ileocaecal valve, 2 inches long, 2 types of ectopic tissue, under 2 years

A mnemonic for the features of a Meckel's diverticulum.

Herniates at week 6, rotates 270 degrees anticlockwise, returns by week 10

A memory aid for the rotation of the midgut during development.

The hepatorenal recess, the lowest part of the peritoneal cavity in the supine patient

A memory aid for the hepatorenal recess and why it matters in trauma.

Arrest of inspiration on palpating the right upper quadrant, from an inflamed gallbladder meeting the examining hand

A memory aid for the anatomical basis of Murphy's sign.

The area of Fruchaud, bounded by rectus, the oblique muscles, the iliopubic tract and the pubic ramus

A memory aid for the single weak area through which all groin hernias pass.

The terminal branches of the anterior and posterior vagal trunks supplying the pylorus

A memory aid for the terminal gastric branches of the vagus.

Two vertical midclavicular lines and two horizontal planes give nine regions

A memory aid for the nine regions of the abdomen and the planes that define them.

Through the obturator canal, causing the Howship-Romberg sign

A memory aid for the obturator hernia and its characteristic sign.

Omphalocele is covered by a sac and central; gastroschisis is uncovered and to the right

A mnemonic for distinguishing the two congenital anterior abdominal wall defects.

Head from the pancreaticoduodenal arcades; body and tail from the splenic artery

A memory aid for the arterial supply of the pancreas.

Head, uncinate process, neck, body and tail

A memory aid for the five parts of the pancreas.

Aorta, inferior vena cava, portal vein and left kidney behind; stomach in front

A memory aid for the structures behind and around the pancreas.

Ventral and dorsal buds fuse after the ventral bud rotates behind the duodenum

A memory aid for the two pancreatic buds and the origin of an annular pancreas.

Main duct of Wirsung to the major papilla; accessory duct of Santorini to the minor papilla

A memory aid for the two pancreatic ducts and their openings.

Grooves lateral to the ascending and descending colon; the right is deeper and continuous with the subhepatic space

A memory aid for the paracolic gutters and where fluid tracks within them.

Above is visceral and insensitive; below is somatic and painful

A memory aid for the differences above and below the pectinate line.

Fluid moves upwards towards the diaphragm and is absorbed through diaphragmatic lymphatics

A memory aid for how fluid moves within the peritoneal cavity.

Superior, inferior and paraduodenal recesses, potential sites of internal hernia

A memory aid for the peritoneal recesses around the duodenojejunal flexure.

Parietal peritoneum is somatic and precisely localised; visceral peritoneum is autonomic and vague

A mnemonic for why parietal peritoneum localises pain and visceral peritoneum does not.

Gastrohepatic, gastrosplenic, gastrocolic and gastrophrenic ligaments

A memory aid for the peritoneal ligaments attached to the stomach.

Rectovesical pouch in the male; vesicouterine and rectouterine pouches in the female

A memory aid for the dependent peritoneal pouches of the pelvis.

Duct, Artery, Vein, Epiploic foramen posteriorly

A mnemonic for the arrangement in the hepatoduodenal ligament.

Union of the superior mesenteric and splenic veins behind the neck of the pancreas

A memory aid for how the portal vein is formed and what it drains.

Oesophagus, umbilicus, rectum and retroperitoneum

A mnemonic for the sites where portal and systemic venous systems meet.

Psoas major, iliacus, quadratus lumborum and transversus abdominis

A memory aid for the muscles forming the posterior abdominal wall.

Superior rectal from the inferior mesenteric, middle rectal from the internal iliac, inferior rectal from the internal pudendal

A memory aid for the three arteries supplying the rectum.

No taeniae, no haustra, no appendices epiploicae and no mesentery

A memory aid for what distinguishes the rectum from the colon.

Above the arcuate line the sheath is complete; below it all aponeuroses pass in front

A memory aid for the composition of the rectus sheath above and below the arcuate line.

Above the arcuate line it is contained; below it, blood can spread freely

A memory aid for why a rectus sheath haematoma behaves differently above and below the arcuate line.

Renal capsule, perirenal fat, renal (Gerota's) fascia, pararenal fat

A memory aid for the coverings of the kidney from inside out.

Vein, Artery, Ureter from front to back

A mnemonic for the order of structures at the renal hilum.

Papilla, minor calyx, major calyx, renal pelvis, ureter

A memory aid for the sequence of the renal collecting system.

Anterior pararenal, perirenal and posterior pararenal spaces

A memory aid for the three compartments of the retroperitoneum.

Only the antimesenteric border of the bowel enters the sac

A memory aid for the hernia in which only part of the bowel circumference is trapped.

Gas on both sides of the bowel wall makes it visible as a thin line

A memory aid for the radiological signs of free intraperitoneal gas.

Rectus abdominis, Inferior epigastric vessels, Poupart's ligament

A mnemonic for the borders of Hesselbach's triangle.

Runs obliquely from the duodenojejunal flexure to the right sacroiliac joint, about 15 cm long

A memory aid for the direction and extent of the mesenteric root.

Pressure in the left iliac fossa produces pain in the right iliac fossa

A memory aid for the mechanism of Rovsing's sign in appendicitis.

Three arteries, three nerves, three other structures

A mnemonic for the contents of the spermatic cord.

Suprarenal, Aorta and IVC, Duodenum, Pancreas, Ureters, Colon, Kidneys, Esophagus, Rectum

A mnemonic for the retroperitoneal structures of the abdomen.

A long, mobile loop on a narrow mesenteric base

A memory aid for why the sigmoid colon is prone to volvulus.

A metastatic nodule at the umbilicus, spreading along the ligamentum teres or peritoneal fluid

A memory aid for the umbilical metastatic nodule and how tumour reaches it.

Iron in the duodenum, folate in the jejunum, B12 and bile salts in the terminal ileum

A memory aid for where each nutrient is absorbed in the small bowel.

External spermatic from external oblique, cremasteric from internal oblique, internal spermatic from transversalis fascia

A mnemonic for the three fascial layers of the spermatic cord and their origins.

Through the linea semilunaris, usually just below the arcuate line

A memory aid for the site of a Spigelian hernia.

1 by 3 by 5 inches, 7 ounces, between ribs 9 and 11

A mnemonic for the dimensions and position of the spleen.

Enlarges downwards and medially, towards the right iliac fossa

A memory aid for the direction in which an enlarging spleen is felt.

Gastrosplenic ligament carries the short gastric vessels; splenorenal ligament carries the splenic vessels and pancreatic tail

A memory aid for the ligaments anchoring the spleen and their contents.

Pancreas, spleen, left kidney and adrenal, diaphragm, transverse mesocolon and splenic artery

A memory aid for the structures forming the bed of the stomach.

Left and right gastric on the lesser curve, left and right gastro-omental on the greater curve, plus short gastrics

A memory aid for the five arteries supplying the stomach.

Inner oblique, middle circular and outer longitudinal

A memory aid for why the stomach has three muscle layers rather than two.

Cardia, fundus, body, antrum and pylorus

A memory aid for the five parts of the stomach.

Lower limb, buttock, abdominal wall below the umbilicus, perineum, anal canal below the pectinate line and scrotal skin

A memory aid for the territory drained by the superficial inguinal nodes.

Inferior pancreaticoduodenal, jejunal and ileal, ileocolic, right colic and middle colic arteries

A memory aid for the branches of the superior mesenteric artery.

The third part of the duodenum is compressed between the aorta behind and the superior mesenteric artery in front

A memory aid for compression of the duodenum by the superior mesenteric artery.

From the posterior abdominal wall through the inguinal canal into the scrotum by birth

A memory aid for the path and timing of testicular descent.

Testis drains to para-aortic nodes; scrotum drains to inguinal nodes

A mnemonic for why the testis and scrotum drain to different lymph nodes.

At L1, halfway between the suprasternal notch and the pubic symphysis

A memory aid for the structures lying at the transpyloric plane.

A continuous fascial sheet whose defect forms the deep inguinal ring

A memory aid for the role of transversalis fascia in the groin.

Umbilical hernias pass through the ring itself; paraumbilical hernias pass through the linea alba beside it

A memory aid for the difference between umbilical and paraumbilical hernias.

One median, two medial and two lateral umbilical folds

A memory aid for the peritoneal folds on the inner surface of the anterior abdominal wall.

Patent urachus, urachal sinus, urachal cyst and bladder diverticulum

A memory aid for the remnants of the allantois between bladder and umbilicus.

Pelviureteric junction, pelvic brim and vesicoureteric junction

A memory aid for the three sites where ureteric stones impact.

Foregut epigastric, midgut periumbilical, hindgut suprapubic

A mnemonic for where pain from each part of the gut is felt.

Meckel's diverticulum, vitelline fistula, sinus, cyst and fibrous band

A memory aid for the spectrum of vitelline duct remnants.

The ureter (water) passes under the uterine artery or vas deferens (the bridge)

A mnemonic for the relationship of the ureter to the uterine artery and vas deferens.