Veterinary Splanchnology and Applied Anotomy

PERITONEUM

• Peritoneum is the serous membrane which lines the abdominal cavity and a part of pelvic cavity and the organs contained in them
• In the male, it is completely closed one. In the female there are two small openings in it, and these are abdominal openings of the oviducts
• The peritoneum, which covers the parieties, is called parietal peritoneum, which is reflected over the contained organs, the visceral layer of peritoneum
• The peritoneal cavity is a potential space formed between two layers, parietal and visceral, which are normally in contact with each other
• It contains a thin film of serous fluid that acts as a lubricant. Though the peritoneal cavity as a whole is single, it is divisible in to two sacs
• The greater sac is exposed when the inferior wall of the abdomen is cut through
• The lesser sac forms only diverticulum of the greater sac, which envelops the intestines
• The two sacs are continuous with each other through the foramen of Winslow or epiploic foramen
• The peritoneum gets reflected on the organs contained in the cavity to form their outermost covering
• It then extends into a number of folds, which extend between the various organs or connect them to the walls
• These folds serve to hold the organ in position and also to enclose the vessels and nerves passing through them. They are as follows,
  • A double fold passing from the stomach to the other viscera is an omentum E.g.. greater omentum
  • A double fold that attaches the intestine to the dorsal abdominal wall is mesentery E.g.. common mesentery of ox and dog
  • A double fold, which attaches viscera other than parts of the digestive tube to the walls, is ligament, E.g.., ligament of liver
  • Omentum and mesentery transmit blood vessels and nerves to the organ whereas a ligament does not, except the broad ligament of the uterus