Anatomical features of the gastrocolic venous trunk based on enhanced volume CT

Abstract

Objective To observe the anatomical features of the gastrocolic venous trunk (GVT) and its branches in vivo using enhanced volume CT. Methods The clinical data of 124 patients who underwent the enhanced CT scan of abdomen in Daxing Hospital of Capital Medical University from September 2014 to August 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Among them, there were 75 males and 67 females, ranging from 19 to 75 years old, with the mean age of 50.5 years. All subjects underwent three-phase enhanced scanning for abdomen, and portal-venous phase images were reconstructed by volume rendering to observe the anatomical features of the gastrocolic trunk and its branches. And finally, the display effect of images were scored according to the evaluation criteria of domestic arterial blood vessel display. Results Among 124 patients, GVT was visible in 117 patients (94.3%), and the GVT was located in the transverse mesocolon, closely walking along the front of the head of pancreas, and it drained into the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) in the lower edge of the head of pancreas. It ran the right side of SMV in 72 patients (61.54%), on the right front side in 43 (36.75%) and on the front side and on the upper right side of SMV in 1 patient(0.85%) respectively. The length of the gastrocolic vein trunk ranged from 2.6 to 21.9 mm and the mean was (8.6±3.7) mm, while its diameter ranged from 3.2 to 7.0 mm and the mean was (5.1±0.9) mm. In 117 patients with venous trunk, the gastrocolic trunk (GCT), gastropancreatic trunk (GPT) and gastropancreaticocolic trunk (GPCT) were found in 16, 23, 78 patients respectively. Anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal vein (ASPDV) presented in 101 patients, and it drained into the right gastroepiploic vein (RGeV) in 40 patients, into the right colic vein (RCV) in 43 patients, into the common trunk of RGeV and RCV in 4 patients, and into the GVT in 14 patients accordingly. The score of the display effect of GTV branches was as follows: the display effect of RGeV, RCV, MCV reached up to 3 points, and the display effect of ASPDV reached up to 1 point in 33 patients, 2 points in 61 patients and 3 points in 7 patients. Conclusions Enhanced volume CT can clearly show the space anatomical characteristics of the gastrocolic vein trunk in vivo, meanwhile it has important guiding value for clinical procedures. Key words: Gastrocolic venous trunk; Anatomy; Tomography; X-ray computer; Volume