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Development of the Gastrointestinal Tract Quiz
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Which artery is the principal arterial supply of the abdominal foregut?
- A Left gastric artery You picked ✕
- B Superior mesenteric artery You picked ✕
- C Inferior mesenteric artery You picked ✕
- D Common hepatic artery You picked ✕
- E Coeliac trunk You picked ✓
Correct!
Incorrect
The answer is E: Coeliac trunk
Explanation
Why E is correct
See The Gut Tube. Option E is correct because each part of the embryonic gut keeps its own artery for life, and the artery of the foregut is the coeliac trunk. The foregut runs from the oesophagus to the duodenum above the opening of the bile duct (the ampulla of Vater), and its abdominal derivatives are the stomach, the upper duodenum, the liver and gallbladder, the pancreas and the spleen. The coeliac trunk is a short artery arising from the front of the aorta, which divides into the left gastric, splenic and common hepatic arteries that fan out to these organs. The same pattern repeats down the gut, so the arterial supply tells you the embryological origin: the foregut is supplied by the coeliac trunk, the midgut by the superior mesenteric artery and the hindgut by the inferior mesenteric artery. Knowing this pairing helps predict which organs are at risk of ischaemia (loss of blood supply) when one trunk is blocked.
- Foregut artery: the coeliac trunk supplies the abdominal foregut.
- Branches: the left gastric, splenic and common hepatic arteries.
- Pattern: the midgut is supplied by the superior mesenteric artery and the hindgut by the inferior mesenteric artery.
Why the other options are incorrect
- A. Left gastric artery: The left gastric artery is a branch of the coeliac trunk that supplies the stomach, so it is not the principal artery of the foregut as a whole. It would be correct only if the stem asked which branch supplies the lesser curvature of the stomach. Your answer
- B. Superior mesenteric artery: The superior mesenteric artery supplies the midgut, from the duodenum below the bile duct opening to the proximal two-thirds of the transverse colon. It is the second of the three gut arteries, not the foregut one. It would be the answer for a question about the jejunum, ileum or ascending colon. Your answer
- C. Inferior mesenteric artery: The inferior mesenteric artery supplies the hindgut: the distal third of the transverse colon, the descending and sigmoid colon and the upper rectum. It lies at the lowest of the three gut arteries. It would be correct for a question about the left side of the colon. Your answer
- D. Common hepatic artery: The common hepatic artery is another branch of the coeliac trunk, mainly supplying the liver, so it cannot be the principal artery of the foregut. Choosing it mistakes one foregut branch for the overarching artery. Your answer
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More questions from this set. Start the quiz to answer them and see each explanation.
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1
Which of the following adult structures is derived from the embryological hindgut?
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2
Which statement correctly describes the embryological origin of the midgut?
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