Gastrosplenic ligament carries the short gastric vessels; splenorenal ligament carries the splenic vessels and pancreatic tail
Mnemonic
Two ligaments, each named for what it connects and defined by what it carries:
- Gastrosplenic ligament - to the greater curve, carrying the short gastric and left gastroepiploic vessels
- Splenorenal (lienorenal) ligament - to the posterior wall, carrying the splenic artery and vein and the tail of the pancreas
“Stomach vessels in one, splenic vessels and pancreas in the other.”
Both are remnants of the dorsal mesogastrium, which is why the spleen, though it develops in the mesentery, comes to lie in the left upper quadrant.
The practical consequences are that the pancreatic tail is at risk in splenectomy, and that dividing the short gastric vessels is a necessary step in mobilising the spleen.
Expansion
- Gastrosplenic ligament - spleen to the greater curvature of the stomach. Contains the short gastric and left gastro-omental vessels
- Splenorenal (lienorenal) ligament - spleen to the left kidney. Contains the splenic artery and vein and the tail of the pancreas
- Phrenicocolic ligament - supports the lower pole; not a direct attachment but limits the left paracolic gutter
Both main ligaments are derived from the dorsal mesogastrium, which is why the spleen, though mesodermal in origin, comes to lie in the foregut territory and is supplied by the coeliac trunk.
During splenectomy the short gastric vessels are short and tear easily, and the pancreatic tail is at risk of injury with subsequent fistula. Accessory spleens occur in around 10 to 30 per cent of people, most often near the hilum, and must be removed when splenectomy is performed for a haematological indication.