Abdomen: mesenteric blood supply: practice question

A Anatomy question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Anatomy · Abdomen: mesenteric blood supply

Sample item

An elderly man with heart failure develops left-sided abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea after a hypotensive episode. Colonoscopy shows ischaemia at the splenic flexure while the rectum is spared. Why is the splenic flexure vulnerable?

AIt is supplied only by the coeliac trunkBIt is a watershed zone between the territories of the superior and inferior mesenteric arteriesCIt has no marginal artery or collateral supply at allDIt is supplied only by the inferior mesenteric artery

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

B. It is a watershed zone between the territories of the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries

The splenic flexure (Griffiths point) lies at the junction of the territories of the superior mesenteric artery (midgut) and inferior mesenteric artery (hindgut), where the marginal artery can be thin. The rectum has a dual supply from the internal iliac branches and is usually spared.

Option by option

A. It is supplied only by the coeliac trunk
The coeliac trunk supplies foregut derivatives, not the colon.
B. It is a watershed zone between the territories of the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries (correct)
Correct. It is a watershed area, so it suffers first in low-flow states.
C. It has no marginal artery or collateral supply at all
The marginal artery exists but can be attenuated here; saying it is absent exaggerates the anatomy.
D. It is supplied only by the inferior mesenteric artery
The territory is shared between the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries rather than belonging to one alone.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Anatomy question

What is the answer to this Anatomy question?

The best answer is B, It is a watershed zone between the territories of the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries. The splenic flexure (Griffiths point) lies at the junction of the territories of the superior mesenteric artery (midgut) and inferior mesenteric artery (hindgut), where the marginal artery can be thin.

Why is "It is supplied only by the coeliac trunk" not the answer?

The coeliac trunk supplies foregut derivatives, not the colon.

Why is "It has no marginal artery or collateral supply at all" not the answer?

The marginal artery exists but can be attenuated here; saying it is absent exaggerates the anatomy.

Why is "It is supplied only by the inferior mesenteric artery" not the answer?

The territory is shared between the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries rather than belonging to one alone.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Abdomen: mesenteric blood supply in Anatomy. The rectum has a dual supply from the internal iliac branches and is usually spared.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Abdomen: mesenteric blood supply?

Learn every nerve by its route, its muscles and what a lesion looks like at the bedside. That one habit answers a large share of questions. Then use the flashcards and the other Anatomy questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.