Anatomical Variant of the Liver Blood Supply

Abstract

Vascular variations are significant for liver transplantations, radiological procedures, laparoscopic method of operation and for the healing of penetrating injuries, including the space closer to the hepatic area. This variants are very common in the abdominal region, and their description will be useful. During a routine dissection of 73 year old female cadaver, we found on subhepatic region that the blood supply of the liver differed from a normal one. The difference was found in the absence of the right liver branch and the cystic artery, which normally arises from the common hepatic artery. After a detailed dissection of the superior mesenteric artery we distinguished a branch, which is routed to the right lobe of the liver. The diameter of this vessel is 3.7 mm and the length is 8.2 cm. In the artery pathway, three consecutive branches were observed. The first branch was found about 2.02 cm before the portal region of the liver. The second one became visible after another millimeter and finally the artery made one little curve and became a cystic artery.