Have you ever wondered if there's something special inside our stomach that helps keep all the organs in our digestive system organized and connected? Until recently, doctors didn't really see it as a single thing. But now they've discovered that it's called the mesentery , and it's also an important organ in our body!
So what is this mesentery?
Okay, so what is the mesentery? Simply put, the mesentery is an organ inside your abdomen that supports and is directly connected to all the other organs in your digestive system.
The strange thing is that the mesentery has only recently been classified as an 'organ'. For years, medical textbooks have said that there is not one mesentery, but 'plural mesenteries'. Back then, the medical community thought of these as several peritoneal tissues that connect your intestines to the abdominal wall. The peritoneum is a membrane that lines your abdominal cavity and the organs in your abdomen.
But in 2016, researchers named Coffey et al. proved that the mesentery meets all the requirements to be an organ. What is an organ? That is, a collection of tissues that make up a body part that performs an essential function. So, the mesentery is a single, continuous organ that physically supports your intestines. It is also an independent organ that nourishes the abdominal organs of your digestive system and helps them function properly. Research is still ongoing into the function of this mesentery and its relationship to digestive system diseases.
Let's take a look at the history of the mesentery.
Okay, now you're probably thinking, if this is a new discovery, how did it get away with this for so long? The surprising thing is that this 'new' discovery that the mesentery is a single, continuous structure isn't really new! Think about it, even in the 1500s, scientists like Eustachius and Leonardo da Vinci were drawing the mesentery as a single, continuous abdominal structure in their drawings. But, it was later people like Henry Gray – you may have heard of the famous medical book ``Gray's Anatomy`` – who popularized the idea that there are 'multiple mesenteries'.
So, that 2016 study proved that this idea of 'many mesenteries' was wrong. In fact, this study was like revisiting something that scientists had thought about over 500 years ago.
What happens to the mesentery? What is its importance to our body?
Okay, so what exactly does this mesentery do inside our bodies? Scientists are still figuring this out. But from what we know so far, it provides structural support for our intestines. It also nourishes our organs and acts as a signaling system that helps the digestive system function properly.
Helps keep the abdominal organs safe and in their proper places
Your mesentery is what holds some parts of your intestines to your abdominal wall. It also helps keep other parts of your intestines suspended in a three-dimensional (3D) space inside your abdominal cavity. Imagine, without this support from the mesentery, your intestines could collapse into a heap inside your abdomen. Or, if all the parts were attached to the abdominal wall, there would be no room for the intestines to contract (sankochanya venna) to move food along the way. If that happens, they could become tangled together, causing life-threatening problems.
Although it is not yet clear, scientists believe that this structure of the mesentery may be an evolutionary feature that allowed humans to walk upright. This is because the structure of the mesentery in bipedal humans and primates is different from that of quadrupedal animals.
Helps the digestive system organs in the abdomen develop and function properly
During the fetal stage, the mesentery develops before the other digestive organs develop. Your abdominal organs, such as your liver, spleen, pancreas, and intestines, all develop within the mesentery. These organs remain attached to the mesentery even after birth. The mesentery contains structures that support and nourish these organs throughout life.
Individual organs work as a system, acting like a signaling system.
The digestive organs in your abdomen are not only physically connected to the mesentery. They are also connected to each other through common nerves, blood vessels, and lymph nodes that are located within the mesentery. What are lymph nodes? They are glands that filter substances throughout the body. The signals that travel back and forth through this common resource are what allow the individual organs in your digestive system to work together. In other words, the mesentery helps your digestive system work together with every other system in your body.
For example, the lymph nodes in the mesentery catch germs like viruses and bacteria from your intestines. They are part of your immune system that fights these invaders.
Not only that, the mesentery also produces a substance called `C-reactive protein (CRP) .` This is normally produced by the liver. `CRP` helps control inflammation, which is the body's healing process in response to injury or infection.
Where is the mesentery located?
Okay, so where exactly is this mesentery in our stomach? The mesentery starts at the back of your abdomen, where your superior mesenteric artery is. This artery supplies blood to your pancreas and intestines. Both this artery and the mesentery are located in the mid-gut, which is near the first vertebra in your lower back. The mesentery starts in the mid-gut and spirals down your intestines all the way to your rectum.
What is the structure (shape) of the mesentery?
The structure of the mesentery is a bit complicated. Although it is a single, continuous organ, it connects your intestines to the back of your abdominal wall through various parts. Other parts of the mesentery are not connected to the abdominal wall, but directly to the organs. This allows the organs to move around a bit inside the abdominal cavity while keeping them protected. The many twists, turns, and connections in the mesentery are what keep your intestines safely suspended in three-dimensional (3D) space inside your abdominal cavity.
To make it easier to understand the structure of the mesentery, you can think of it as being connected to your abdominal organs and the posterior abdominal wall:
- Small-intestinal mesentery: The mesentery starts in the 'mid-gut' and connects to your small intestine.
- Right mesocolon: The mesentery runs from the small intestine to the right side of the large intestine (colon). This part of the mesentery is what holds the right side of the large intestine to the back of the abdominal wall.
- Transverse mesocolon: The mesentery runs along your transverse colon. This is the part that runs horizontally across your abdomen.
- Left mesocolon: The mesentery connects to the left side of the large intestine. Like the right mesocolon, the left mesocolon also attaches the left side of the large intestine to the back of the abdominal wall.
- Mesosigmoid: The mesentery connects part of your sigmoid colon to the back of your abdominal wall. The sigmoid colon is the part of your large intestine closest to the rectum.
- Mesorectum: The lower part of the mesentery connects to your rectum.
For years, medical textbooks only talked about the 'mass of mesentery' around the intestines. They didn't talk about the mesentery on the right and left sides (right and left mesocolon). But now we know that there are mesenteries in these areas as well.
This new understanding of the structure of the mesentery has shed new light on how organs develop from the mesentery. It may also impact surgical techniques.
How big is the mesentery?
It's bigger than you think! The mesentery of an adult, when stretched out without being squeezed between the organs, is about 6 feet long. It's unbelievable, isn't it?
What is the mesentery made of?
The mesentery is made up mainly of adipose tissue , which is body fat. This is the fat that many people are talking about when they say they have a 'beer belly' or 'belly'. The mesentery also contains connective tissue that helps hold this fat in place. It is surrounded by a protective layer of cells called the mesothelium . The mesentery is attached to your abdominal wall by a connective tissue called Toldt's fascia .
Not only that, there are also numerous lymph nodes within the mesentery that play an important role in detecting and fighting germs.
What are the common diseases and conditions that affect the mesentery?
Some of the most recent research on the mesentery has focused on Crohn's disease . Crohn's is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) , which causes harmful inflammation in your intestines. Research suggests that certain substances in the mesentery affect how the disease spreads. Traditionally, Crohn's disease was thought to start in the intestines, but it may actually start in the mesentery. More research is needed to understand this for sure.
Most of the fat in your belly is in the mesentery . When we talk about belly fat, we mean subcutaneous fat, which is just under the skin and can be felt with your fingers. But visceral fat, which is in the mesentery, is deeper inside the abdomen. Having too much of this visceral fat increases your risk of a number of diseases, including:
- Diabetes `(Diabetes Mellitus)`
- High blood pressure (Hypertension)
- Obesity
- Coronary artery disease
- Metabolic syndrome
- Stroke
Other diseases and conditions related to the mesentery include:
- Cancer: Cancer can start in the mesentery. Or, cancerous tumors in your digestive organs can break off and spread to the mesentery.
- Infections: The lymph nodes in the mesentery can recognize germs. They can release immune cells to destroy them. But sometimes, germs can 'hide' inside the lymph nodes in the mesentery. If that happens, the germs can resurface later and cause problems if your immune system can't recognize them.
- Sclerosing mesenteritis: If the inflammation in the mesentery becomes too much, the tissue can become damaged and scarred. This damaged tissue can cause the blood vessels in the mesentery to narrow or become blocked. This can stop blood flow and lead to the formation of life-threatening blood clots.
- Mesenteric panniculitis: This is also an inflammatory condition of the mesentery, similar to sclerosing mesenteritis. However, while sclerosing mesenteritis is usually more severe, mesenteric panniculitis is usually stable and not as severe.
- Hernias: A hernia is a protrusion of an organ or tissue through the wall of the cavity in which it is located. Hernias affecting the mesentery can be caused by a congenital condition or can occur as a complication after surgery on the abdominal organs.
- Malrotation: Malrotation occurs when a fetus' intestines do not develop properly or are not coiled properly. (The shape and position of your intestines largely depends on how the mesentery develops.) After the baby is born, they will need surgery to straighten their intestines and mesentery to position these organs properly.
- Volvulus: Malrotation can cause volvulus. In volvulus, your small or large intestine and mesentery twist abnormally. This usually happens when the mesentery is no longer properly attached to the abdominal wall. This twisting can cause a blockage in your small or large intestine. The blockage can cut off blood flow to the intestine. This is an emergency and needs to be treated quickly.
Considering how closely the mesentery is connected to all of the digestive organs in your abdomen, any disease that affects a digestive organ is likely to involve the mesentery. Research is ongoing to learn more about the role of the mesentery in various digestive system diseases.
What are the treatments for mesentery?
Recent research suggests that when treating abdominal organs, the surrounding mesentery should also be considered. For example, some studies have shown that removing parts of the mesentery can reduce the spread of Crohn's disease. Other studies have shown that removing the surrounding mesentery can reduce the risk of colon cancer coming back.
This new understanding of the mesentery could also affect the way abdominal surgery is performed. In the past, surgeons operated on abdominal organs by connecting them to a 'mesentery mass.' They thought of the mesentery as a complex structure: sacs, cavities, and the stomach. But this new 'mesenteric model' divides the abdomen into two parts: the mesenteric region and the mesenteric region.
This simple understanding of the structure of the abdomen may allow for more direct surgical techniques.
What can I do to keep my mesentery healthy?
One of the best things you can do to keep your mesentery healthy is to maintain a healthy level of visceral fat. Having too much visceral fat in the mesentery increases your risk of developing chronic conditions like heart disease.
You can reduce this visceral fat by doing these things:
- Limit certain foods: These include trans fats, sugar (including corn syrup), sodium (salt), and processed foods. Limit sweets, sugary drinks, and fried foods as much as possible. Also, reduce your alcohol intake.
- Exercise regularly: Try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.
- Get enough sleep: Research has shown that not getting enough, good-quality sleep every night can increase visceral fat. Try to get 8 hours or more of sleep every night.
- Manage stress: When you are stressed, your body produces a hormone called cortisol . High cortisol levels over time can lead to increased belly fat. So, managing stress is not only good for your mental health, but also for your physical health.
Finally, what to remember
Okay, so the most important thing to remember from what we've been talking about is that while classifications like 'organ' and 'tissue' may not seem that important to us, except to doctors, when it comes to the mesentery, these 'words' are very important. This new understanding of the structure of the mesentery, and the service it provides to our digestive system, could change the way healthcare providers diagnose diseases of the digestive system.
This new knowledge could change the way they perform surgery on your abdomen. As scientists learn more about the mesentery, new information will be revealed about how it contributes to your health. So, being aware of this 'new and old' organ will help us understand a little more about our bodies!
` Mesentery, abdominal organs, digestive system, intestines, new organ, abdominal health, digestive diseases
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