The anatomic variations of hepatic artery and its clinical correlation

Objective To summarize the variations of the hepatic artery,and provide anatomic basis for clinic application.Methods A total of 74 cadavers were collected randomly for his study.The celiac artery and its branches were completely exposed.The hepatic artery were observed and recorded.Results Referring to Hiatt's six types of hepatic artery,three of them were observed: Type I(n=57,77.02%),with the common hepatic artery originating from the celiac artery to form the gastroduodenal and proper hepatic arteries,and the proper artery dividing distally into right,middle and left branches;Type II(n=7,9.47%),with a replaced or accessory left hepatic artery originating from left gastric artery;Type V(n=1,1.35%),with the common hepatic artery originating directly from superior mesenteric artery.Besides,three uncommon types were found: Type VII(n=5,6.76%),with a replaced left hepatic artery originating from common hepatic artery;Type VIII(n=2,2.70%),with a replaced right hepatic artery originating from gastroduodenal artery;Type IX(n=2,2.70%),with a replaced left hepatic artery together with the gastric and esophageal branches originating directly from celiac artery.Conclusions Three uncommon variant types of hepatic artery are observed in our small samples,which indicates that,the variation of the hepatic artery is complex and occasional,which should be pay close attention to this features.