Surgical anatomy of hepatic arteries from its origin to segmental branching: A 500 cases CT study

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to present an overview of variations of the hepatic artery from the origin to the segmental branching. MethodsAbdominal Computed Tomography performed on consecutive patients in our tertiary center between 2019 and 2020 were analyzed. Hepatic arterial branching and its relationship to the portal veins were reported. ResultsOut of 500 imaging, 16 anatomic patterns were found for the origin of hepatic artery, with 65.6% conventional origin at celiac axis (n = 328); 10 patterns for the left hepatic artery, 23 for segment IV artery, and more than 21 for the right hepatic artery (RHA), with conventional branching in respectively 66.8%, 39.6% and in 46.4% of patients. Conventional anatomy from celiac axis to segmental branching was found in 10.4% of patients. ConclusionDedicated thin-section imaging appears to be essential for preoperative planning in liver surgery, given the high variability of arterial distribution and their surgical implications.