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A common hepatic artery passing in front of the portal vein

Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy volume 28, pages 202–205 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

A variation in liver vascularization was discovered in a 50-year-old man. A single common hepatic artery was found to be responsible for vascularization of the entire liver. This artery was unusual in that it formed the first branch of the superior mesenteric artery, crossing the portal trunk shortly after its origin, and passed in front of the portal vein to reach the hilum of the liver, where it divided into a right and a left branch. This artery was a true common hepatic artery because a gastroduodenal artery emerged from it 2 cm after its origin. A common hepatic artery originating from the mesenteric artery and passing in front of the portal vein has never been described before. The patient had a second anatomical variation: the left gastric artery and the splenic artery arose directly from the aorta, without celiac trunk separation. This observation confirms the importance of carrying out a precise vascular assessment before all types of hepatic or pancreatic surgery, to identify possible variations in the number or trajectory of hepatic arteries.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Hospital Ambroise Paré, Boulogne, France

    Frédérique Peschaud, Robert Malafosse, Diane Goere, Stéphane Benoist, Christophe Penna & Bernard Nordlinger

  2. Laboratoire d’Anatomie Paris—Ile de France Ouest, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Versailles, France

    Frédérique Peschaud

  3. Department of Radiology, Hospital Ambroise Paré, Boulogne, France

    Moustafa El Hajjam

  4. Service de Chirurgie Digestive, Hôpital Ambroise Paré, 9 Avenue Charles de Gaulle, 92100, Boulogne, France

    Frédérique Peschaud

Authors
  1. Frédérique Peschaud
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  2. Moustafa El Hajjam
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  3. Robert Malafosse
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  4. Diane Goere
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  5. Stéphane Benoist
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  6. Christophe Penna
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  7. Bernard Nordlinger
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Correspondence to Frédérique Peschaud.

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With the collaboration of the association Arold (Boulogne, France)

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Peschaud, F., El Hajjam, M., Malafosse, R. et al. A common hepatic artery passing in front of the portal vein. Surg Radiol Anat 28, 202–205 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-005-0063-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-005-0063-y

Keywords

  • Liver
  • Variation
  • Hepatic artery
  • Anatomy