| Colic flexures | |
|---|---|
 The hepatic and splenic flexures labelled at either side oftransverse colon | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Precursor | Hindgut |
| Artery | Right colic artery (right flexure), andleft colic artery (left flexure) |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | flexura coli |
| FMA | 14555 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
In theanatomy of the humandigestive tract, there are twocolic flexures, or curvatures in thetransverse colon. The right colic flexure is also known as thehepatic flexure, and the left colic flexure is also known as thesplenic flexure.[1]
Theright colic flexure orhepatic flexure (as it is next to theliver) is the sharp bend between theascending colon and thetransverse colon. The hepatic flexure lies in theright upper quadrant of the humanabdomen. It receives blood supply from thesuperior mesenteric artery.
Theleft colic flexure orsplenic flexure (as it is close to thespleen) is the sharp bend between the transverse colon and thedescending colon. The splenic flexure receives dual blood supply from the terminal branches of thesuperior mesenteric artery and theinferior mesenteric artery.[2]
The splenic flexure is the last and highest positioned flexure in the colon. Gas can build up at this flexure and give abdominal pain giving rise to a condition known assplenic flexure syndrome. Splenic flexure syndrome is often found in those withirritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and is considered by some practitioners to be a type of IBS since it can also result from stress.[3]
The splenic flexure is awatershed region as it receives dual blood supply from the terminal branches of thesuperior mesenteric artery and theinferior mesenteric artery, thus making it prone to ischemic damage in cases oflow blood pressure because it does not have its own primary source of blood. In the context ofbowel ischemia in particularischemic colitis, the splenic flexure is sometimes referred to asGriffith's point, along with the upperrectum (Sudeck's point).[2][4]
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