Anatomical Variation and Clinical Implications of Celiac Trunk and Superior Mesenteric Arteries

Abstract

Introduction: Anatomical variations in the celiac, superior mesenteric and hepatic arterial branching patterns have a great clinical significance. The presence of certain variant patterns can be advantageous, while some can lead to life threatening complications. Many a times they are present throughout life and fortunately pass undetected. Yet their presence and incidence can be helpful for surgeons and radiologists to be aware of such variant patterns. Objectives: To describe the peculiar variations found during routine cadaveric dissection which could be clinically significant. Design: Dissections performed on 20 cadavers in a period of one year during undergraduate courses. Main outcome: Variable anatomy of celiac and superior mesenteric arteries may be clinically significant in cases presenting with any disease related to the liver, gall bladder, pancreas, spleen, stomach or small intestine. Results: In this study it was observed that 85% cadavers showed normal origin and course of hepatic arteries while 15 % cadavers showed variation. Out of the total one of them was having a hepatic artery arising from superior mesenteric artery, which can be beneficial for a liver graft, the other had a common celiac-mesenteric trunk which could be crucial in case of thromboembolic episode and the third and rarest had a trifurcation pattern of common hepatic artery. Conclusion: Advances in diagnostic radiology can make such variant anatomy clear and help surgeons to take advantage of it in liver grafts or be aware of it before any surgical or radiological intervention.

Keywords

• arterial variations
• common celiac-superior mesenteric trunk
• trifurcation