Marginal artery of colon

Looks like

A continuous arterial chain running along the inner edge of the whole colon, linking all the colic arteries.

What it does

Provides backup flow along the colon when one feeding artery is blocked or tied.

Keeping it well

Gaps near the spleen bend leave that part prone to ischaemic colitis: belly pain with bloody diarrhoea in older people needs a doctor.

Related conditions

• Aortic aneurysm
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Hypothermia & frostbite
• Ischaemic colitis
• Kawasaki disease
• Metabolic syndrome
• Orthostatic hypotension & POTS
• Peripheral artery disease
• Phaeochromocytoma & hyperaldosteronism
• Pre-eclampsia
• Raynaud's phenomenon
• Sepsis
• Shock (circulatory failure)
• Vasculitis (GCA & others)