Curvatures of the stomach

Curvatures of the Stomach

The stomach is a major organ in the digestive system of humans and many other animals. It has two primary curvatures: the Greater curvature and the Lesser curvature.

Greater curvature

The Greater curvature of the stomach is the longer, convex border of the stomach. It starts from the upper part of the cardia, where it is continuous with the esophagus, and runs in a downward, then upward direction to the left, reaching the highest point of the stomach. From there, it turns to the right, forming an arch, and finally descends to the pylorus, where it joins the duodenum.

The Greater curvature is covered by peritoneum, and attached to it are several important structures, including the gastrocolic ligament, the gastrosplenic ligament, and the greater omentum.

Lesser curvature

The Lesser curvature of the stomach is the shorter, concave border of the stomach. It starts from the esophagus-cardia junction and runs first to the right, then turns sharply downwards and to the left, and finally ascends to the pylorus.

The Lesser curvature gives attachment to the lesser omentum, and is covered by peritoneum.

Etymology

The term "curvature" comes from the Latin curvatura, which means "a bending". The terms "greater" and "lesser" are used to distinguish the two curvatures based on their length and shape.

Related terms

• Gastrocolic ligament
• Gastrosplenic ligament
• Greater omentum
• Lesser omentum
• Peritoneum
• Pylorus
• Duodenum

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