Celiac plexus

<h2 id="structure">Structure</h2>

<p>The celiac plexus includes a number of smaller plexuses:
</p>

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Hepatic_plexus/0xQGvmuM">Hepatic plexus</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Splenic_plexus/1KjLnjPV">Splenic plexus</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Gastric_plexus/IdUyRYDp">Gastric plexus</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Pancreatic_plexus/t7NC7vK6">Pancreatic plexus</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Suprarenal_plexus/yUylP84H">Suprarenal plexus</a></li></ul>

<p>
Other plexuses that are derived from the celiac plexus:
</p>

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Renal_plexus/xFNlPUce">Renal plexus</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Testicular_plexus/uPLWluk7">Testicular plexus</a> / <a href="/facts/Ovarian_plexus/rhKTgyhg">ovarian plexus</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Superior_mesenteric_plexus/0cFU1mX3">Superior mesenteric plexus</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="terminology">Terminology</h2>
<p>The celiac plexus is often popularly referred to as the solar plexus. In the context of sparring or injury, a strike to the region of the stomach around the celiac plexus is commonly called a blow "to the solar plexus". In this case it is not the celiac plexus itself being referred to, but rather the region around it. A blow to this region may cause the diaphragm to spasm, resulting in difficulty in breathing—a sensation commonly known as "<a href="/facts/Getting_the_wind_knocked_out_of_you/tsJAkouj">getting the wind knocked out of you</a>". It may also affect the celiac plexus itself, which can cause great pain and interfere with the functioning of the <a href="/facts/Viscera/FUYsLaxz">viscera</a>. 
</p>
<h2 id="clinical-significance">Clinical significance</h2>

<p>A blunt injury to the celiac plexus normally resolves with rest and deep breathing.
</p><p>A celiac plexus block by means of <a href="/facts/Fluoroscopy/ySerh62e">fluoroscopically</a> guided injection is sometimes used to treat intractable pain from cancers<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> such as <a href="/facts/Pancreatic_cancer/6h9GIInW">pancreatic cancer</a>. Such a block may be performed by pain management specialists and radiologists, with <a href="/facts/CT_scans/NusPJ2S8">CT scans</a> for guidance.  
</p><p>Intractable pain related to <a href="/facts/Chronic_pancreatitis/r724VCAo">chronic pancreatitis</a> may be an indication for celiac plexus ablation.
</p>

<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Cardiac_plexus/w5EJemny">Cardiac plexus</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Celiac_ganglia/oEacToeY">Celiac ganglia</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Superior_hypogastric_plexus/CpKw5LEr">Superior hypogastric plexus</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Manipura/kHypC8Xy">Manipura</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/labs/l40/100101.htm">Anatomy photo:40:10-0101</a> at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Posterior Abdominal Wall: The Celiac Plexus"</li>
<li><a href="http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humananatomy/figures/chapter_32/32-6.HTM">figures/chapter_32/32-6.HTM</a>: Basic Human Anatomy at Dartmouth Medical School</li>
<li><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=OehM0_yyozgC&q=Solar+Plexus">The Solar Plexus: Abdominal Brain By Theron Q. Dumont</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>"Definition of SOLAR PLEXUS". www.merriam-webster.com. <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solar+plexus." target="_blank">http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solar+plexus.</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Garcia-Eroles X, Mayoral V, Montero A, Serra J, Porta J (2007). "Celiac plexus block: a new technique using the left lateral approach". The Clinical Journal of Pain. 23 (7): 635–7. doi:10.1097/AJP.0b013e31812e6aa8. PMID 17710015. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Celiac plexus open-in-new

Celiac plexus