Normal Variation of Hepatic Artery

Kim, Kun Hwan; Jeong, Min Ho; Jeong, Joon Heon; Lee, Kyung Hee

Abstract

PURPOSE
World wide studies have reported many cases of the normal variants of the hepatic artery in healthy individuals. Unfortunately, there are few medical reports in Korea, this study presents the results and analysis of the anatomical variants in the hepatic artery. METHODS: This study analyzed the blood supply of the liver in 131 patients who had received hepatic angiography and superior mesenteric angiography from January 1996 to September 2003 at the Maryknoll general hospital. RESULTS: The hepatic artery pattern with a normal hepatic artery pattern was observed in 101 out of 131 cases (77.1%) ; the right and left hepatic arteries arising from the proper hepatic artery, which arising from the common hepatic artery. The normal variations in the hepatic artery pattern were observed in 30 out of 131 cases (22.9%) ; the replaced right hepatic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery was observed in 14 out of 131 cases (10.7%). The replaced left hepatic artery arising from the left gastric artery was observed in 6 out of 131 cases (4.6%). The common hepatic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery was noted in 4 out of 131 cases (3.1%). The accessory left hepatic artery arising from the left gastric artery was observed in 1 out of 67 cases (0.7%). Other variants were noted 5 out of 131 cases (3.8%). CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the patterns and frequency of the variants in hepatic artery is increasing with the larger number of national reports on the hepatic artery variants, which can be great help in surgical operations, hepatic arterial embolization, or liver transplant.