Medial Delineation of the Lesser Curvature of the Stomach

Description

Medial orientation frames the stomach’s lesser curvature (curvatura minor) as a smooth concave border running from the cardiac region near the gastroesophageal junction down to the pyloric part, where it turns into the proximal duodenum. Along this medial arc, the lesser omentum attaches to the gastric wall, its hepatogastric ligament spanning superiorly toward the visceral surface of the liver while the hepatoduodenal ligament continues toward the porta hepatis. The anterior and posterior gastric surfaces fall lateral to this border, with the lesser sac situated posterior to the stomach and the liver positioned anterosuperiorly relative to the curvature. That fixed attachment matters in practice. Surgeons use the lesser curvature and the lesser omentum as a corridor during upper abdominal access, with the gastrohepatic ligament often divided to enter the lesser sac for exposure of the posterior stomach and pancreas. Nearby course the right and left gastric arteries along the lesser curvature, and lymphatics track with them toward the left gastric nodes and celiac nodes, a pattern that guides nodal dissection in gastric carcinoma and helps explain early spread from tumors arising on the lesser curvature. A tight neighborhood. Ideal for teaching relationships at the medial stomach in gross anatomy and GI surgery modules, this view also supports atlas plates and journal figures explaining lesser omentum anatomy, gastric lymphatic drainage, and common operative steps in distal gastrectomy or vagotomy. It fits clinical slide decks on peptic ulcer disease, where lesser-curvature ulcers can threaten adjacent vessels and demand careful endoscopic and surgical planning. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.