Greater omentum

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A Moment in History

Georg Eduard Von Rindfleisch
(1836 – 1908)

German pathologist and histologist of Bavarian nobility ancestry. Rindfleisch studied medicine in Würzburg, Berlin, and Heidelberg, earning his MD in 1859 with the thesis “De Vasorum Genesi” (on the generation of vessels) under the tutelage of Rudolf Virchow (1821 - 1902). He then continued as a assistant to Virchow in a newly founded institute in Berlin. He then moved to Breslau in 1861 as an assistant to Rudolf Heidenhain (1834–1897), becoming a professor of pathological anatomy. In 1865 he became full professor in Bonn and in 1874 in Würzburg, where a new pathological institute was built according to his design (completed in 1878), where he worked until his retirement in 1906.

He was the first to describe the inflammatory background of multiple sclerosis in 1863, when he noted that demyelinated lesions have in their center small vessels that are surrounded by a leukocyte inflammatory infiltrate.

After extensive investigations, he suspected an infectious origin of tuberculosis - even before Robert Koch's detection of the tuberculosis bacillus in 1892. Rindfleisch 's special achievement is the description of the morphologically conspicuous macrophages in typhoid inflammation. His distinction between myocardial infarction and myocarditis in 1890 is also of lasting importance.

Associated eponyms

"Rindfleisch's folds": Usually a single semilunar fold of the serous surface of the pericardium around the origin of the aorta. Also known as the plica semilunaris aortæ.

"Rindfleisch's cells": Historical (and obsolete) name for eosinophilic leukocytes.

Personal note: G. Rindfleisch’s book “Traité D' Histologie Pathologique” 2nd edition (1873) is now part of my library. This book was translated from German to French by Dr. Frédéric Gross (1844-1927) , Associate Professor of the Medicine Faculty in Nancy, France. The book is dedicated to Dr. Theodore Billroth (1829-1894), an important surgeon whose pioneering work on subtotal gastrectomies paved the way for today’s robotic bariatric surgery. Dr. Miranda.

Sources:
1. "Stedmans Medical Eponyms" Forbis, P.; Bartolucci, SL; 1998 Williams and Wilkins
2. "Rindfleisch, Georg Eduard von (bayerischer Adel?)" Deutsche Biographie
3. "The pathology of multiple sclerosis and its evolution" Lassmann H. (1999) Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 354 (1390): 1635–40.
4. “Traité D' Histologie Pathologique” G.E.
Rindfleisch 2nd Ed (1873) Ballieres et Fils. Paris, Translated by F Gross

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Details: Published: December 10, 2015; Hits: 8158

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The [greater omentum] is a large, fatty apron-like structure that covers the abdominal viscera inferior to the greater curvature of the stomach. It is formed by a double peritoneal layer that contains fat, vessels, lymphatics, and nerves. This double peritoneal structure is continuous with the anterior and posterior serosal layers of the greater curvature of the stomach, drapes inferiorly, sometimes all the way to the pelvis and the folds upon itself posteriorly and superiorly ascending to become continuous with the anterior and posterior serosal layer of the transverse colon. Because it folds upon itself, the greater omentum can be considered to be a four-layered structure. See accompanying image.

The greater omentum contains vessels that arise from the right and left gastroepiploic arteries and veins as well as omental (epiploic) branches of the greater curvature vascular arcade.

The left border of the greater omentum reaches to the splenic hilum, while the right border extends as far as the pylorus and inferior aspect of the first portion of the duodenum. Because of its location, covering the intestines and its apron-like structure, the greater omentum is also known as the “surgeon’s apron”.

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The term ‘abdominopelvic ligament” has been discussed in this article. The greater omentum has several “ligament” components that stretch between abdominal viscera. They are the:

• Gastrocolic ligament: Main portion of the greater omentum extending between the stomach and the transverse colon
• Gastrosplenic ligament: The portion of the greater omentum stretching between the stomach and spleen
• Splenorenal ligament: A continuation of the greater omentum stretching from the left kidney to the spleen.

As a side note, the lesser omentum (related to the lesser curvature of the stomach) contains less fat than the greater omentum.

First image(s) modified from the original by Henry VanDyke Carter. Public Domain
Second image(s) property of: CAA.Inc.. Photographer: D.M. Klein

Greater omentum

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