What is the anatomy of the abdominal peritoneal cavity?
The abdominal peritoneal cavity can be divided into supramesocolic and inframesocolic compartments, where the former is located superior to the transverse mesocolon and the latter is located inferior to the transverse mesocolon. The supramesocolic component is further subdivided into the subphrenic space (located inferior to the diaphragm), the subhepatic space (located inferior to the liver), and the lesser sac (located anterior to the pancreas and posterior to the stomach). The lesser sac communicates with the greater sac (which includes the subphrenic, subhepatic, infracolic, and paracolic spaces) via the foramen of Winslow (also called the epiploic foramen), which is located posterior to the hepatoduodenal ligament and anterior to the inferior vena cava. The inframesocolic component is further subdivided into the infracolic spaces (located medial to the ascending and descending portions of the large bowel and lateral to the small bowel mesentery) and the paracolic spaces (located lateral to the ascending and descending portions of the large bowel).
