Expansion
Pancreas, spleen, left kidney and adrenal, diaphragm, transverse mesocolon and splenic artery
Expansion
Behind the stomach, across the lesser sac:
- Diaphragm (left crus)
- Left kidney and left adrenal gland
- Pancreas - body and neck
- Splenic artery, running along the upper border of the pancreas
- Spleen
- Transverse mesocolon and transverse colon
Two clinical consequences follow. A posterior gastric ulcer perforates into the lesser sac, which initially contains the leak and mutes the signs, and it may erode the splenic artery and cause severe haemorrhage.
Second, a large gastric tumour on the posterior wall can invade the pancreas directly, and the transverse mesocolon provides a route for spread to the colon.
The stomach’s own anterior relations are simpler: the left lobe of the liver, the diaphragm and the anterior abdominal wall.