Vasculature
The spleen is a highly vascular organ. It receives most of its arterial supply from the splenic artery. This vessel arises from the coeliac trunk, running laterally along the superior aspect of the pancreas, within the splenorenal ligament. As the artery reaches the spleen, it branches into five vessels – each supplying a different part of the organ.
These arterial branches do not anastomose with each other – giving rise to vascular segments of the spleen. This enables a surgeon to remove one of these segments without affecting the others (a procedure known as a subtotal splenectomy).
Venous drainage occurs through the splenic vein. It combines with the superior mesenteric vein to form the hepatic portal vein.
By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2023)
Fig 3 – An overview of the venous portal system – draining into the hepatic portal vein.
Innervation
The nerve supply to the spleen is from the coeliac plexus.
Lymphatics
The lymphatic vessels of the spleen follow the splenic vessels mentioned above and drain into the pancreaticosplenic lymph nodes, and ultimately the coeliac nodes.