Variant anatomy of the celiac trunk and its branches

Abstract

The knowledge of abdominal vascular anatomy is very important for surgeons and radiologists to perform many of the clinical diagnostic evaluations. The celiac trunk, one of the branches of the abdominal aorta shows numerous variations in its branching pattern and its branches. The present study is to demonstrate the rare branching pattern of celiac trunk, into hepatogastric and hepatosplenic trunks. The hepatogastric trunk divided into left gastric and accessory left hepatic arteries and the hepatosplenic into common hepatic and splenic artery. The inferior phrenic artery was arising from left gastric artery. The gastroduodenal artery divided into right gastroepiploic artery and a common trunk for right gastric and anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery. The posterior superior pancreatico-duodenal artery was arising directly from the gastroduodenal artery and supraduodenal from proper hepatic artery. The variant anatomy of the celiac trunk as found in the present case may be clinically significant during invasive procedures like angiography, chemotherapy, chemoembolization and other surgical conditions of the abdomen.