From which major vessel do the middle suprarenal arteries originate?

• A. Celiac trunk
• B. Superior mesenteric artery
• C. Aorta
• D. Inferior vena cava

Answer: (C)

The middle suprarenal arteries come directly off the abdominal aorta. They are one of the three arterial sources for the adrenal glands—the others being the superior suprarenal arteries from the inferior phrenic arteries and the inferior suprarenal arteries from the renal arteries. Because they arise directly from the aorta, they deliver arterial blood to the adrenal gland from the major arterial trunk in the abdomen. The celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery are branches of the aorta higher up in the foregut and midgut regions, and the inferior vena cava is a vein, not a source of arterial branches to the adrenal gland.