Right hepatic artery originated from the superior mesenteric artery: What is the standard anatomic position?

ABSTRACT Objective: Liver arterial irrigation is characterized by a high frequency of variations in its anatomy. The aim of the study was to describe the anatomic position of the right hepatic artery as a brunch of the superior mesenteric artery. Methods: A total of 5147 intravenous contrast-enhanced computed tomography scans of patients seen at the Radiology Service of the Passo Fundo Clinical Hospital (RS), from October 2016 to December 2017, were selected. 125 patients with anatomic variation of the right hepatic artery were selected. The findings were categorized by the variation of the vascular position, emergence from the superior mesenteric artery and the relationship with other structures. Results: The most frequent position was retropancreatic (88.8%), retroportal (76.8%) and post-choledocian (75.2%), emerging about 2.33 cm from the superior mesenteric artery. Conclusion: We have shown that most common variant of the right hepatic artery presents its posterior origin from the pancreatic and hepatic pedicle, and arises close to the origin of the superior mesenteric artery.