Morphometric study of the segmental branches of the splenic artery in human cadaver spleens by dissection method

Abstract

Introduction: Spleen is the largest lymphoid organ. It is supplied by splenic artery the largest branch of coeliac trunk. It traverses through the lienorenal ligament to reach near the hilum of the spleen, where it divides into two or three primary branches, each of which is subdivided mostly into two or four secondary branches. Moreover, a superior polar arteries and inferior polar arteries are given from splenic trunk or from one of its primary branches, which goes to the poles of the spleen, without entering the hilum. The present study was undertaken to know about the morphometry of the segmental branches of splenic artery and polar arteries Material and method: The present study was conducted on 79 adult human cadaver spleens by dissection method of unknown sex, fixed in 10% formalin solution, collected from the Department of Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysore. Results: Two primary segmental branches were seen in 56 (70.9%) specimens, three primary segmental branches in 19(24.1%) specimens and four primary segmental branches in 4(5.1%) specimens. Superior polar artery was present in 18(22.8%) specimens and inferior polar artery was present in 32(40.5%) and both superior and inferior polar artery was seen in 5(6.3%) specimens. The length of primary segmental branches varied from 0.2 cm to 4.9 cm. The length of polar arteries varied from 0.7 cm to 5.7 cm. The diameter of primary segmental branches varied from 0.6 mm to 4.7 mm. The diameter of polar branches varied from 0.4 mm to 2.8 mm. Conclusion: The present study adds up to the existing knowledge regarding the morphometry of the segmental branches of splenic artery, as the various splenic conservative surgeries are dependent on better understanding of the vascular anatomy of the spleen. KEY WORDS: Splenic artery, Segmental branches, Polar artery.