Quick Facts
Origin: Superior mesenteric artery.
Course: Branches emerge from the left side of the superior mesenteric artery and pass between the layers of the mesentery to the left and anterior.
Branches: Anastomoses with its own and neighboring branches forming highly interconnected arterial arcades.
Supplied Structures: Jejunum.
Origin
The jejunal arteries emerge as four to six branches from the left side of the proximal part of the superior mesenteric artery.
Course
The jejunal arteries pass between the layers of the mesentery to the left and away from the posterior abdominal wall out to the jejunum. Along their course, the jejunal arteries form one to three tiers of anastomotic arcades and a series of straight vasa recta.
Branches
The jejunal arteries branch along their course, anastomosing with its own and neighboring branches, forming highly interconnected arterial arcades. The arcades give off terminal branches that pass straight out to the jejunum.
Due to the rich anastomoses within the arterial arcades, blockage of the jejunal arteries and their proximal arcades rarely leads to ischemia because of collateral flow. However, anastomoses between neighboring vasa recta are rare, thus, blockage of several consecutive vasa recta may produce segmental bowel ischemia.
Supplied Structures
As the name suggests, the jejunal arteries supply the jejunum.
