STOMACH

Greater and Lesser Curvatures

The medial and lateral borders of the stomach are curved, forming the lesser and greater curvatures:

• Greater curvature – forms the long, convex, lateral border of the stomach.
  • Arising at the cardiac notch, it arches backwards and passes inferiorly to the left.
  • It curves to the right as it continues medially to reach the pyloric antrum.
  • The short gastric arteries and the right and left gastro-omental arteries supply branches to the greater curvature.
• Lesser curvature – forms the shorter, concave, medial surface of the stomach.
  • The most inferior part of the lesser curvature, the angular notch, indicates the junction of the body and pyloric region.
  • The lesser curvature gives attachment to the hepatogastric ligament and is supplied by the left gastric artery and right gastric branch of the hepatic artery.

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2023)

Fig 2 – The greater and lesser curvatures of the stomach

Anatomical Relations

The anatomical relations of the stomach are given in the table below:

Anatomical Relation

Structures

Superior

Oesophagus and left dome of the diaphragm

Anterior

Diaphragm, greater omentum, anterior abdominal wall, left lobe of liver, gall bladder

Posterior

Lesser sac, pancreas, left kidney, left adrenal gland, spleen, splenic artery,  transverse mesocolon