Prepare for the Marieb Language of Anatomy Exam. Utilize multiple choice questions, flashcards, and explanations for each answer. Ace your exam with confidence!

Multiple Choice

Which of the following are intraperitoneal organs?

Intraperitoneal organs are those completely enveloped by visceral peritoneum and suspended in the peritoneal cavity by mesenteries. This arrangement makes them mobile within the abdomen and usually connected to the abdominal wall or other organs by ligaments. The stomach and liver fit this description. The stomach lies inside the peritoneal cavity and is connected by the omenta to other organs, while the liver is largely covered by visceral peritoneum and attached to the anterior abdominal wall and other structures by ligaments such as the falciform ligament. Other options don’t meet the criterion. The kidneys sit behind the peritoneum (retroperitoneal). The heart and lungs are in the thoracic cavity, not the peritoneal cavity. The pancreas is mainly retroperitoneal as well, with only the tail sometimes described as intraperitoneal, so it isn’t considered fully intraperitoneal. Therefore, the stomach and liver are the intraperitoneal ones.

Intraperitoneal organs are those completely enveloped by visceral peritoneum and suspended in the peritoneal cavity by mesenteries. This arrangement makes them mobile within the abdomen and usually connected to the abdominal wall or other organs by ligaments.

The stomach and liver fit this description. The stomach lies inside the peritoneal cavity and is connected by the omenta to other organs, while the liver is largely covered by visceral peritoneum and attached to the anterior abdominal wall and other structures by ligaments such as the falciform ligament.

Other options don’t meet the criterion. The kidneys sit behind the peritoneum (retroperitoneal). The heart and lungs are in the thoracic cavity, not the peritoneal cavity. The pancreas is mainly retroperitoneal as well, with only the tail sometimes described as intraperitoneal, so it isn’t considered fully intraperitoneal. Therefore, the stomach and liver are the intraperitoneal ones.