Posterior gastric artery
Arteria gastrica posterior
- Latin synonym: Arteria gastrica dorsalis
- Synonym: Dorsal gastric artery
Definition
The posterior gastric artery (PGA) is a branch of splenic artery that provides the predominant arterial supply to the posterior wall of the superior portion of the gastric body, near the cardiac region and fundus.
The PGA most commonly arises from the cranial border of the splenic artery (reported in 86.5% of cases in a large meta-analysis, and up to 97-98% in some autopsy and CT series). Less frequently, it may originate from the left gastric artery, the celiac trunk, or the superior polar splenic artery. It typically branches from the proximal to mid-third of the splenic artery, at a mean distance of approximately 6.79.1 cm from the celiac trunk origin. The vessel courses upward and posteriorly behind the parietal peritoneum of the omental bursa (lesser sac), where it raises a peritoneal fold before reaching the posterior gastric wall.
Its external diameter ranges from approximately 1.2 to 3.2 mm (mean ~2 mm).
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