An aberrant hepatic artery and its significant clinical implications

Objective To investigate anatomic feature of variant right hepatic artery originating from the gastroduodenal artery. Methods We studied the anatomy of hepatic artery in 70 patients by 64-slice CT scans. If the right hepatic artery originated from the gastroduodenal artery, its relation to duodenum, common bile duct and portal vein was further investigated. Results Normal hepatic artery was found in 40 patients (57.1%). Variant hepatic artery can′t be categorized to classic types in 8 patients (11.4%), among them 6 patients (8.6%) were with replaced (5 patients) or accessory (one patient) right hepatic artery arising from gastroduodenal artery. With the distance between original point of the right hepatic artery and that of the gastroduodenal artery growing further anatomic course of the variant right hepatic artery is more similar to that of the right hepatic artery originating from the superior mesenteric artery. Conclusions The variation of right hepatic artery originating from the gastroduodenal artery was not uncommon. This specific variant hepatic artery can exert impact on biliary blood supply, avoiding injury decreases the incidence of serious biliary complications in general surgery. Key words: Hepatic artery; Vascular malformations; Blood supply, biliary tract