Aberrant gastroduodenal and proper hepatic arteries

Abstract

Anatomic variants of the celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery are common, thus knowledge of these variants is important for preoperative planning of abdominal surgery and interventional procedures. We report a rare anatomic variant of replaced proper hepatic and gastroduodenal arteries discovered upon CT angiography and diagnostic angiogram. Emergent angiogram performed on a 61-year-old male who presented with signs and symptoms of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage revealed a rare variant of an absent common hepatic artery and its branches with aberrant origins. The replaced proper hepatic artery originated from the superior mesenteric artery and the replaced gastroduodenal artery originated from a gastrosplenic trunk. This case emphasizes the importance of evaluating preoperative imaging to identify vascular variants prior to undergoing abdominal surgery or interventional procedures.