Clinical Significance of Celiac Trunk and Superior Mesenteric Artery Diameter Following Computed Tomography

Abstract

Introduction: The celiac trunk and superior mesenteric arteries are the first and second anterior branches of the abdominal aorta. Knowledge of the anatomy and dimensions of these vessels is mandatory for interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons. There are a number of anatomical variations of the celiac trunk. Aim: To evaluate whether there is an alteration in the dimension of the celiac trunk and the distance between celiac trunk and Superior Mesenteric Artery (SMA) in the presence of anatomical variants. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 patients who were referred to the Radiology Department for Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) of the abdomen between September 2019 to February 2020. The diameter of the celiac trunk, SMA and the distance between celiac trunk and SMA were measured. Those who had previous history of any abdominal surgeries or mass lesions were excluded from the study. Results: Celiac trunk variants were observed in 39 patients in our study. The mean diameter was 6.57±1.35 mm in those with normal celiac axis anatomy as compared to a mean of 6.82±1.53 mm in patients with variants (p=0.33). The mean diameter of the SMA was 14.28±7.07 mm in females whereas in males it was 11.88±5.21 mm. The distance between the celiac trunk and SMA was 21.92±7.96 mm in those with normal celiac trunk anatomy and 22.29±5.95 mm in those with a variant anatomy (p=0.79). Conclusion: There is no difference in the dimension of the celiac trunk and distance between celiac trunk and SMA in the presence of anatomical variants. This is important for planning interventional procedures involving cannulation, stenting and anastomosis of the vessel.