Abdominal anatomy—the foundation of clinical practice

: Conventional descriptions portray abdominal anatomy as dauntingly complex. These are peritoneal based. They do not match clinical observations and are not aligned with clinical practice. They have prevailed as the standard description for the past century. Recent advances in our understanding of the anatomy of the abdomen show this is simpler than previously thought. These advances demonstrate that the conventional description of abdominal anatomy should be replaced by the new description as the standard description of abdominal anatomy. The new description is mesenteric based and explains the positional anatomy of all abdominal contents. It is far simpler than the conventional description. The aim of this article is to explain how we now understand abdominal anatomy, and how that understanding can be applied to all branches of clinical practice. The article shows that the new understanding of abdominal anatomy provides a basis for all scientific and clinical practice related to the abdomen.