ArticlesAnatomyAbdomenNerves, vessels and lymphatics of the abdomenLeft gastric artery

ArticlesAnatomyAbdomenNerves, vessels and lymphatics of the abdomenLeft gastric artery

Left gastric artery

Author: Kevin Kuschel, MD • Reviewer: Declan Tempany, BSc (Hons)
Last reviewed: October 30, 2023
Reading time: 2 minutes

Left gastric artery (Arteria gastrica sinistra)

The left gastric artery is the first and smallest branch of the celiac trunk which descends along the superior half of the lesser curvature of the stomach, anastomosing with the right gastric artery.

The left gastric artery gives off esophageal branches and supplies the upper right portions of the fundus and body of the stomach, as well as the distal (abdominal) esophagus.

This article will discuss the anatomy and function of the left gastric artery.

Key facts about the left gastric artery
Origin	Celiac trunk
Branches	Esophageal branches, anterior and posterior terminal branches
Supply	Distal esophagus, lesser curvature of stomach

Contents

Course
Branches and supply
Sources

+ Show all

Course

After emerging from the celiac trunk, the left gastric artery crosses over the left crus of the diaphragm and ascends towards the gastroesophageal junction.

The artery then abruptly turns anteroinferiorly, and passes between the two layers of the lesser omentum.

From here, its branches descend along the lesser curvature of the stomach forming an anastomosis with those of the right gastric artery at the level of the angular incisure.

Branches and supply

At the cardiac end of the stomach, the left gastric artery gives off 1-3 esophageal branches which ascend through the esophageal opening of the diaphragm and supply the distal portion of the esophagus. It then usually terminates via anterior and posterior branches which follow the lesser curvature of the stomach, supplying the right upper anterior and posterior walls of the stomach, respectively.

The posterior branches usually go on to anastomose with branches of the right gastric artery.

Find out more about the arterial supply of the main abdominal organs with our comprehensive learning materials.

Sources

All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

References:

Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F., & Agur, A. M. R. (2014). Clinically Oriented Anatomy (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Fischer, J.E. (2007). Master of Surgery Vol. 1 (5th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Standring, S. (2016). Gray's Anatomy (41st ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.
Gosling, J.A. (2008). Human Anatomy: Color Atlas and Textbook (5th ed.). Mosby Elvesier.
Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M., Loukas, M., & Bergman, R. A. (2016). Bergman’s comprehensive encyclopedia of human anatomic variation. Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell.

Illustrations:

Left gastric artery (Arteria gastrica sinistra) - Irina Münstermann

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