Relationship between vascular and biliary anatomy in living liver donors.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of our study was to determine whether there is an association between portal venous or hepatic arterial branching patterns (or both) and biliary anatomic variants.


METHODS
Two radiologists independently reviewed preoperative hepatic CT scans and intraoperative cholangiograms from 39 consecutive living liver donors. The portal venous and hepatic arterial anatomy was classified on the basis of the preoperative CT scans and the biliary anatomy was classified on the basis the intraoperative cholangiograms into one of two groups: conventional or anomalous. Variables were tested for association using Fisher's exact test.


RESULTS
Anomalous vascular branching variants were common, being present in 23 (59%) of 39 patients. Hepatic arterial anomalies were present in 18 (46%); portal venous anomalies, in seven (18%); and both, in two (5%). Biliary anomalies were present in 15 (38%) of the 39 patients. Of the 23 patients with anomalous vascular anatomy, seven (30%) had biliary anomalies. Of the 16 patients with conventional vascular anatomy, eight (50%) had biliary anomalies. There was no significant association between hepatic arterial anomalies, portal venous anomalies, or the combination of arterial and portal venous anomalies and anomalous biliary drainage.


CONCLUSIONS
Portal venous and hepatic arterial branching patterns do not correlate well with biliary anatomic variants. In patients with normal hepatic vascular anatomy, biliary anomalies are common.
Department of Medical Imaging, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 610 University Ave., Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.
David Blair
DB
Macdonald
Masoom A
MA
Haider
Korosh
K
Khalili
Tae Kyong
TK
Kim
Martin
M
O'Malley
Paul D
PD
Greig
David R
DR
Grant
Gina
G
Lockwood
Mark S
MS
Cattral
D000328:Adult; D001659:Biliary Tract / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002758:Cholangiography; D005260:Female; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed