Anatomy of the mesentery: Historical development and recent advances

• Published in: Seminars in cell & developmental biology Vol. 92; pp. 4 - 11
• Main Authors: Byrnes, Kevin Gerard, Walsh, Dara, Lewton-Brain, Peter, McDermott, Kieran, Coffey, John Calvin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-08-2019
• Subjects: Anatomy; Fascia; History; Humans; Mesentery; Mesentery - anatomy & histology; Mesocolon; Peritoneum; Mesocolon; Mesentery; Anatomy; History; Fascia; Peritoneum
• ISSN: 1084-9521; 1096-3634
• DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2018.10.003

•Renaissance artists first illustrated mesenteric continuity.•In 1858, Henry Gray described a fragmented model of the mesentery.•Sir Frederick Treves supported Gray’s model, signifying a departure from the continuous model.•In 2012, a formal characterization of mesenteric anatomy demonstrated continuity.•The mesentery is a continuous and helical-shaped organ.
Recent appraisals of mesenteric anatomy clarify its structure and show a continuous and helical-shaped organ. This new model signifies a departure from the conventional model which described multiple, separate “mesenteries”. Renaissance anatomists depicted the mesentery as a continuous structure. Events that led to replacement of a continuous with a fragmented model span several centuries. In effect, the scientific and clinical community has come full circle and back to the Renaissance model. Here we review the historical development of our understanding of the mesentery. We discuss how the fragmented model replaced the continuous model. Additionally, we examine factors that contributed to recent advances in mesenteric anatomy as these present new opportunities for systematic investigation.