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Aberrant left gastric vein: what should surgeons know?

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Abstract

Purpose

Aberrant left gastric vein is a rare variant and hardly known by surgeons. Its misidentification may lead to accidental bleeding. More importantly, it can also be the root of hypertensive gastropathy in cirrhotic patients and tumor spread in patients with gastric cancer. Here, we describe and provide imaging data of the three patterns of aberrant left gastric veins.

Methods

Over the past 5 years, three cases were noted, each one corresponding to one of the three variants.

Results

Aberrant left gastric vein is a rare anatomical entity and has rarely been reported. Its normal anatomy and variants, embryological origins, radiological analysis, and clinical implications are all discussed, bringing light to what surgeons should know when encountering an aberrant left gastric vein.

Conclusion

Surgeons should be aware of the types of ALGV, its associated arterial variations, the presence of pseudolesion or not, and the potential atrophy of liver segment.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

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The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

SF: protocol development, data collection, data analysis, manuscript writing/editing. PDM: data collection, manuscript writing, other: figure drawing. BP: protocol development, data analysis, manuscript writing. PA: protocol development, data collection, data analysis, manuscript writing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pietro Addeo.

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The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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Frey, S., De Mathelin, P., Bachellier, P. et al. Aberrant left gastric vein: what should surgeons know?. Surg Radiol Anat 44, 1247–1250 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-022-03009-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-022-03009-3

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