Transverse colon (Colon transversum)
Educational content only — not medical advice.
Anatomy
The longest, most mobile colonic piece, crossing the abdomen from hepatic to (higher) splenic flexure on its transverse mesocolon beneath the greater omentum; intraperitoneally free because it straddles the SMA/IMA supply watershed — a delicate surgical transition.
Clinical notes
Segmental resection for its cancer demands meticulous central-vessel dissection; herniation through the epiploic foramen is rare but strangulating, and the splenic flexure is the gas-trap that sounds tympanic on exam.
Related structures
Educational references
FAQ
What is the role of the Transverse colon?
The longest, most mobile colonic piece, crossing the abdomen from hepatic to (higher) splenic flexure on its transverse mesocolon beneath the greater omentum; intraperitoneally free because it straddles the SMA/IMA supply watershed — a delicate surgical transition.
Why is the Transverse colon clinically important?
Segmental resection for its cancer demands meticulous central-vessel dissection; herniation through the epiploic foramen is rare but strangulating, and the splenic flexure is the gas-trap that sounds tympanic on exam.
Source & license
BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). license details