A rare branching pattern of the celiac trunk associated with an accessory aberrant cystic duct

Abstract

During routine educational dissection of the upper part of the abdominal cavity in a female cadaver (67 years old, Netherlands) a unique association of two rare biliary and vascular patterns was discovered. The gastroduodenal artery originated from the celiac trunk along with the right hepatic, gastric and splenic arteries, and gave origin to the accessory right and left hepatic vessels. The right hepatic artery took the course typical for the common hepatic artery; however, as a component of the portal triad, the artery was located behind the bile duct and portal vein. Next to the hilum of the liver, it branched off the cystic artery to the gallbladder and bifurcated into two segmental hepatic branches. The described hepatic vascular pattern was associated with the presence of an accessory aberrant cystic duct connecting the body of the gallbladder with the right anterior inferior segmental bile duct. The case is reported to emphasize the importance of a detailed preoperative investigation of the patients considered for open and laparoscopic procedures on the liver and gallbladder documenting the variability of both the biliary and vascular patterns.