Function

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  mechanical protection by means of impact-buffering fat

  
  
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  vascular function

  
  
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  immune defense

Parietal Peritoneum

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  diaphragmatic part: underside of the diaphragm

  
  
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  posterior part:

  
  
  
  
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    – covers the transversal fascia and is separated from the abdominal wall by the retroperitoneal space

    
    
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    – located in the retroperitoneal space are the aorta, inferior vena cava, kidney, ureter, and adrenal glands; the ureter is attached to the peritoneum by its cover of connective tissue

  
  
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  anterior part: covers the anterolateral abdominal wall and forms:

  
  
  
  
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    – supravesical fossa

    
    
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    – medial inguinal fossa

    
    
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    – lateral inguinal fossa (= weak spots in the abdominal wall—hernia gates)

  
  
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  inferior part: lines the sidewalls of the pelvic cavity and lies along the median line of the subperitoneal connective tissue. In the female pelvis, the peritoneum forms two deep pouches:

  
  
  
  
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    – vesicouterine pouch

    
    
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    – rectouterine pouch (pouch of Douglas)

Visceral Peritoneum

The visceral peritoneum lies (firmly) against the inside of the parietal peritoneum and the surfaces of the abdominal organs.

Mesenteries

The mesenteries attach the organs to the walls of the torso and supply them with vessels and nerves.

Ligaments

Ligaments connect two organs to each other or an organ to the wall of the abdomen, but do not contain important vessels. They include the:

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  round ligament of the liver (ligamentum teres hepatis, obliterated umbilical vein)

  
  
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  coronary ligament with left and right triangular ligaments

  
  
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  gastrophrenic ligament (enveloping fold of the two leaves of the peritoneum that cover the stomach)—continues as the lesser omentum and gastrosplenic ligament

  
  
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  broad ligament of the uterus (fixates the peritoneum firmly to the uterus and adnexas)

  
  
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  phrenicocolic ligament (lateral continuation of the greater omentum)

Omenta

The omenta are infoldings of the peritoneum that sometimes contain vessels and run from one organ to another. They include the:

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  lesser omentum

  
  
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  greater omentum (a part of the greater omentum forms the gastrocolic ligament)

  
  
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  gastrosplenic ligament (continuation of the gastrocolic ligament in a left-lateral direction)—continues on the inside of the spleen and as the anterior leaf of the pancreaticosplenic ligament

  
  
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  pancreaticosplenic ligament (posterior short leaf continues as the posterior parietal peritoneum)

Omental Bursa

Innervation

The peritoneum is supplied by sensory and vasomotor fibers from the phrenic nerve and the thoracic and lumbar segmental nerves.

Motricity

As the parietal peritoneum is attached to the wall of the torso (see above), movements of the torso cause it to move as well, in the sense of stretching or approximating partial areas, e. g., if you lean the upper body backward, the anterior part of the peritoneum, which lies flat against the abdominal wall, is stretched. If postoperative adhesions are present, this can trigger pain.

A lateral flexion of the torso to the right approximates the right lateral part and stretches the left lateral part.

Mobility

The engine for this form of movement is the respiratory movement of the abdomen and diaphragm.

During inhalation, the respiratory movement in the diaphragm causes the entire peritoneal sac to shift caudally. In addition the subdiaphragmatic parts experience a shift medially in the lateral areas.

The abdominal wall is pushed anteriorly by the abdominal organs during inhalation; the peritoneum follows similarly. During exhalation, the opposite movement occurs.