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The arterial blood supply of the pancreas: a review

I. The superior pancreaticoduodenal and the anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal arteries. An anatomical and radiological study

Etude anatomo-radiologique de la vascularisation artérielle du pancréas

I. Les artères pancréaticoduodénale supérieure et pancréaticoduodénale antérieure et supérieure

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Summary

The gross anatomy of the pancreatic blood supply has been subjected to numerous studies. The results of such studies, however, have never been summarized in detail, even in the most important textbooks. For this reason, a certain confusion was generated, especially regarding the interpretation of the nomenclature used to identify pancreatic arteries. This review summarizes more than two centuries of studies of the gross anatomy of the pancreatic blood supply, clarifies the arterial nomenclature, and underlines the aspects about which anatomists are not in agreement. Moreover, it supplies, as far as possible, documentary evidence for numerous observations previously reported only verbally. For this purpose, more than 200 references were directly consulted to provide the anatomical background of the topic, and more than 1000 angiograms were studied to support the review with original figures. The present paper, on the superior pancreaticoduodenal and anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal arteries, is the first of a series of articles dealing with the pancreatic blood supply.

Résumé

L'anatomie de la vascularisation du pancréas a fait l'objet de nombreux travaux. Les résultats de ces études n'ont jamais été récapitulés en détail, même dans les livres les plus importants. C'est pourquoi une certaine confusion est née, spécialement en ce qui concerne l'interprétation de la nomenclature utilisée pour indentifer les artères pancréatiques. Ce travail résume plus de deux siècles d'études d'anatomie générale de la vascularisation du pancréas, il clarifie la nomenclature des artères et souligne les points sur lesquels les anatomistes ne sont pas d'accord. En outre il fournit, autant que faire se peut, des documents concernant de nombreuses observations antérieures rapportées uniquement oralement. Dans ce but plus de 200 références ont été consultées directement pour fournir la documentation anatomique de ce sujet et plus de 1000 angiographies ont été étudiées pour illustrer ce travail avec des figures originales. Le présent article sur les artères pancréatico-duodénale supérieure et pancréatico-duodénale antéro-supérieure est le premier d'une série de travaux se rapportant à la vascularisation du pancréas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Human Anatomy, University of Siena, Via Laterino 8, I-53100, Siena, Italy

    E Bertelli

  2. Institute of Radiology, Catholic University, Rome, Italy

    F Di Gregorio

  3. Institute of Human Anatomy, Chair of Topographic Anatomy, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    L Bertelli

  4. Institute of Radiology, Policlinico Monteluce, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy

    S Mosca

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Bertelli, E., Gregorio, F.D., Bertelli, L. et al. The arterial blood supply of the pancreas: a review. Surg Radiol Anat 17, 97–106 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01627566

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