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omental foramen (epiploic foramen, foramen of Winslow)
The passage below & behind the porta hepatis, connecting the two peritoneal sacs.
Boundaries:
1) Anteriorly
-> portal vein, hepatic artery & bile duct contained in the hepatoduodenal ligament
2) Posteriorly
-> inferior vena cava & right crus of diaphragm, covered with parietal peritoneum, which are retroperitoneal
3) Superiorly
-> left lobe of liver (caudate), covered with visceral peritoneum
4) Inferiorly
-> superior or first part of the duodenum, portal vein, hepatic artery & bile duct
Notes: Located by running a finger along the gallbladder to the free edge of the lesser omentum; usually admits 2 fingers.
General
foramen
References
- Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams &
Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999.
- Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 4th edition, KL Moore &
AF Dalley (eds), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia,
PA 1999.
Component-of
abdomen