A Study of Morphometric Variations of Celiac Trunk Using Computed Tomographic Angiography

Abstract

Aims and Objectives: Evaluate the normal anatomy of celiac trunk and prevalence of ana­tomical variations of celiac trunk in the South Gujarat population. Materials and Methods: Total 50 subjects irrespective of age and sex, who underwent CT angiography of abdominal aorta for medical or surgical indications, were selected for the study. Subjects allergic to contrast medium or having history of malignancy or previous abdominal surgery or aorto-arteritis were excluded from the study. The angiography images were obtained using spiral CT scanner from department of radio-diagnosis of Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research (SMIMER) and reformatted as 3D images to evaluate celiac arterial anatomy and its variations with respect to level of origin, length, diameter and branching pattern. Results: Variation in the vertebral level of origin of celiac trunk was observed in about 60 % cases. The length and dimensions of the trunk also displayed a wide range of variation. Variant branching patterns are found in 32 % of subjects with bifurcation of celiac trunk into splenic and common hepatic arteries and left gastric arises from some different sources. Conclusion: The knowledge of morphometric variations of celiac trunk is indispensable for diagnostic and operative procedures of abdomen. Without a thorough understanding of the arterial architecture and the knowledge of variations, surgery may carry a considerable risk leading to lethal complications. A high celiac trunk may lead to its compression. Variation in branching pattern is considerably important in hepato-biliary surgery and chemo-embolization for malignancy. Key words: Angiography, celiac trunk, computerized tomography, variation