open access
Ring-shaped variation of the coeliac trunk branches
open access
Abstract
Aberrant arterial variations in the branching pattern of the coeliac trunk are of great interest to surgeons and radiologists. We report on a rare arterial variation found in a 79-year-old cadaver during educational dissection. Specifically, the coeliac axis formed a unique incomplete trunk termed the hepato-hepatic trunk. The splenic artery arose separately from the anterior aspect of the abdominal aorta. On the right side, there was a right hepatic artery giving rise to a gastroduodenal but an absence of the left hepatic. On the left side, there was a branch coursing towards the porta hepatis; the left hepatic artery, dividing into the left gastric, an accessory left gastric, and a branch to the distal oesophagus. The hepato-hepatic trunk formed a ring-shaped vascular structure around the caudate lobe of the liver. Precise mapping and observation of the extrahepatic arteries and bile duct branches is essential in a variety of hepato-biliary laparoscopic procedures of the liver and gallbladder. Other operative procedures requiring, a comprehensive knowledge of the varied coeliac trunk patterns are liver transplantation and arterial embolism for hepatic tumour therapy.
Abstract
Aberrant arterial variations in the branching pattern of the coeliac trunk are of great interest to surgeons and radiologists. We report on a rare arterial variation found in a 79-year-old cadaver during educational dissection. Specifically, the coeliac axis formed a unique incomplete trunk termed the hepato-hepatic trunk. The splenic artery arose separately from the anterior aspect of the abdominal aorta. On the right side, there was a right hepatic artery giving rise to a gastroduodenal but an absence of the left hepatic. On the left side, there was a branch coursing towards the porta hepatis; the left hepatic artery, dividing into the left gastric, an accessory left gastric, and a branch to the distal oesophagus. The hepato-hepatic trunk formed a ring-shaped vascular structure around the caudate lobe of the liver. Precise mapping and observation of the extrahepatic arteries and bile duct branches is essential in a variety of hepato-biliary laparoscopic procedures of the liver and gallbladder. Other operative procedures requiring, a comprehensive knowledge of the varied coeliac trunk patterns are liver transplantation and arterial embolism for hepatic tumour therapy.
Keywords
coeliac artery, coeliac axis, hepatic artery, hepato-hepatic trunk, incomplete coeliac trunk, left hepatic artery, splenic artery
About this articleTitle
Ring-shaped variation of the coeliac trunk branches
Journal
Issue
Article type
Case report
Pages
540-543
Published online
2015-11-27
Page views
1090
Article views/downloads
1862
DOI
10.5603/FM.2015.0120
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
Folia Morphol 2015;74(4):540-543.
Keywords
coeliac artery
coeliac axis
hepatic artery
hepato-hepatic trunk
incomplete coeliac trunk
left hepatic artery
splenic artery
Authors
A. Raikos
N. Pynadath
N. Anguswamy
S. Vallath
P. Kordali
A. Stirling
