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Aberrant Right Hepatic Artery with a Prepancreatic Course Visualized Prior to Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Abstract

Liver vascularization is known to present with several different variations. Generally, a normal vascular anatomy is reported in up to 50–80 % of cases. For this reason, a precise preoperative mapping of the hepatic vascularization prior to pancreatic surgery is essential to avoid injuries and subsequent complications. We report here a case of a young patient scheduled for Whipple procedure, who presented an arterial pattern type Michels IV, variation reported in 0.6 to 3 % in the literature. Another interesting particularity of this case was the fact that the right hepatic artery had a prepancreatic course. We think that every surgeon performing hepatopancreatic surgery should have heard of this special and rare situation.

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Correspondence to A. Venara.

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Venara, A., Pittet, O., Lu, T.L. et al. Aberrant Right Hepatic Artery with a Prepancreatic Course Visualized Prior to Pancreaticoduodenectomy. J Gastrointest Surg 17, 1024–1026 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-012-2127-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-012-2127-8

Keywords

  • Whipple procedure
  • Anatomy
  • Right hepatic artery
  • Liver vascularization