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.

摘要
目的：肝动脉的解剖变异发生率较高。本研究旨在描述作为肠系膜上动脉（superior mesenteric artery）分支的右肝动脉的解剖位置。
方法：选取2016年10月至2017年12月期间，帕索丰杜临床医院（RS）放射科接诊的5147例患者的静脉增强计算机断层扫描（computed tomography, CT）影像资料。最终纳入125例存在右肝动脉解剖变异的患者。根据血管位置变异类型、起源于肠系膜上动脉（superior mesenteric artery）的情况以及与其他组织结构的关联对观测结果进行分类。
结果：最常见的变异位置依次为胰后（88.8%）、门静脉后（76.8%）及胆总管后（75.2%），该变异动脉的起源点距肠系膜上动脉（superior mesenteric artery）约2.33 cm。
结论：本研究证实，最常见的右肝动脉变异类型起源于胰腺及肝蒂后方，且起源位置邻近肠系膜上动脉（superior mesenteric artery）起始部。