20.3: Serosa

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Rosanna Hartline
West Hills College Lemoore

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Serosa

Illustration of the greater omentum

Above: The greater omentum, part of a network of peritoneum (serosa of the abdomen) attaching and positioning the abdominal organs to each other and to body walls.

The peritoneum is a large serous membrane network which lines the abdominal cavity and coverers most of the digestive organs. some organs are only partially covered by the peritoneum while others are entirely uncovered. These organs are referred to as being retroperitoneal.

There are visceral peritoneum layers lining the surface of abdominal organs and parietal peritoneum layers lining the cavity wall. Serosa produce serous fluid (in this case peritoneal fluid) to lubricate the organs, thereby preventing friction between the organs allowing them to slide around during movement.

Diagram of the peritoneum, serosa of the abdominal cavity. Visceral peritoneum, parietal peritoneum, greater omentum, lesser omentum, mesentary, peritoneal cavity

Above: Structures of the peritoneum and peritoneal cavity.

Peritoneum Structure	Location
falciform ligament	Peritoneum extending between the liver and the anterior body wall
greater omentum	large fold of the visceral peritoneum that covers the anterior aspect of the small intestine like an apron; attached to the greater curvature of the stomach, covers the small intestine and folds upward, ultimately attaching to the posterior body wall; site where adipose tissue can build up in the abdomen
lesser omentum	peritoneum extending between the liver and the lesser curvature of the stomach
mesentery	Peritoneum extending between the posterior body wall and the small intestine; contains blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, nerves, and adipose tissue
mesocolon (ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid)	peritoneum extending between the posterior body wall and the colon

Attributions

"Anatomy and Physiology Lab Reference" by Laird C Sheldahl, OpenOregonEducational Resources, Mt. Hood Community College is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
"Sobo 1909 564.png" by Dr. Johannes Sobotta is in the Public Domain