The paramesenteric gutters (or paramesenteric recesses) are two spaces (or recesses) in the abdominal cavity

Abdominal cavity

The abdominal cavity is the body cavity of the human body that holds the bulk of the viscera. It is located below the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity. Its dome-shaped roof is the thoracic diaphragm , and its oblique floor is the pelvic inlet...

 between the colon

Colon (anatomy)

The colon is the last part of the digestive system in most vertebrates; it extracts water and salt from solid wastes before they are eliminated from the body, and is the site in which flora-aided fermentation of unabsorbed material occurs. Unlike the small intestine, the colon does not play a...

 and the root of the mesentery

Root of the mesentery

The root of the mesentery —the part connected with the structures in front of the vertebral column—is narrow, about 15 cm. long, and is directed obliquely from the duodenojejunal flexure at the left side of the second lumbar vertebra to the right sacroiliac articulation.-External links:* at...

. There are two paramesenteric gutters; the left paramesenteric gutter and the right paramesenteric gutter.

They are also sometimes incorrectly referred to as other paracolic gutters

Paracolic gutters

The paracolic gutters are spaces between the colon and the abdominal wall.There are two paracolic gutters:* The right lateral paracolic gutter.* The left lateral paracolic gutter....

. Paracolic gutters are recesses between the abdominal wall and the colon.

These gutters are clinically important because they allow a passage for infectious fluids from different compartments of the abdomen.

The Right Paramesenteric Gutter

This space is defined by:

• The ascending colon
  Ascending colon
  The ascending colon is smaller in caliber than the cecum.It passes upward, from its commencement at the cecum, opposite the colic valve, to the under surface of the right lobe of the liver, on the right of the gall-bladder, where it is lodged in a shallow depression, the colic impression; here it...
  
   and caecum laterally (further right).
• The transverse colon
  Transverse colon
  The transverse colon, the longest and most movable part of the colon, passes with a downward convexity from the right hypochondrium region across the abdomen, opposite the confines of the epigastric and umbilical zones, into the left hypochondrium region, where it curves sharply on itself beneath...
  
   superiorly.
• The root of the mesentery
  Root of the mesentery
  The root of the mesentery —the part connected with the structures in front of the vertebral column—is narrow, about 15 cm. long, and is directed obliquely from the duodenojejunal flexure at the left side of the second lumbar vertebra to the right sacroiliac articulation.-External links:* at...
  
   medially.

The Left Paramesenteric Gutter

This space communicates with the pelvic cavity and is defined by:

• The root of the mesentery
  Root of the mesentery
  The root of the mesentery —the part connected with the structures in front of the vertebral column—is narrow, about 15 cm. long, and is directed obliquely from the duodenojejunal flexure at the left side of the second lumbar vertebra to the right sacroiliac articulation.-External links:* at...
  
   medially.
• The descending colon
  Descending colon
  The descending colon of humans passes downward through the left hypochondrium and lumbar regions, along the lateral border of the left kidney....
  
   laterally (further left).