The clinical significance of the nerve-endings in the mesentery
Sheehan, D.
Lancet 224(5713): 409-412
1933
ISSN/ISBN: 0140-6736 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(00)84369-x
Accession: 025706882
In view of the significance of the pacinian corpuscles in the mesentery in the causation of abdominal pain, theories as to the function of these bodies are discussed. The nerve endings in the pacinian corpuscles are splanchnic in origin and are presumably part of the sympathetic nervous system. Each pacinian body possesses a rich vascular plexus surrounding the external aspect of the capsule and, in addition, a central vessel which establishes a rich plexus in the core. The complex vascular supply, apparently far in excess of nutritional requirements, suggests that impulses originating in pacinian corpuscles may cause reflex contraction and dilation of the splanchnic blood vessels. It is suggested that changes in blood pressure may in some cases be the cause and not the result of impulses arising in pacinian bodies.