The coeliac trunk
Coeliac trunk · truncus coeliacus
A short artery from the aorta that supplies the stomach, liver, spleen and pancreas.
What it does
The coeliac trunk leaves the front of the abdominal aorta just below the diaphragm and almost immediately splits into three branches. They supply the stomach, the liver and gallbladder, the spleen and parts of the pancreas and duodenum.
Surprising fact
Its three-way split is so distinctive that anatomy students call it the "tripod".
Why it matters
The arteries to the upper gut are linked to those of the lower gut, giving the bowel backup routes if one vessel narrows slowly.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.