title: The blood supply of the hilar bile duct and its relationship to the communicating arcade located between the right and left hepatic arteries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is an increasing demand for living donor liver transplants. However, the biliary complication rates are still high.
  
  
  METHODS
  The anatomy of the communicating arcade (CA) between the right and left livers and its relevance to the blood supply of the hilar bile duct was evaluated using adult cadaveric livers and cast specimens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all specimens that were of sufficient quality for evaluation, the CA was found to be located extrahepatically in the hilar plate with thin tributaries branching to the hilar bile duct. On the left side, 55% of the CA originated from a segment IV artery. On the right side, 73% of the CA originated from the right anterior hepatic artery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To maintain an adequate blood supply for the hilar bile duct of the donor graft during living donor liver transplantation, the branching point of the CA should be preserved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Academic Surgery, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, and Department of Surgery, Chiba Cancer Center Hospital, Japan. hgunjijp@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gunji
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tohma
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okazumi
authors.forename: Harufumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Makino
authors.forename: Kiyohiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shuto
authors.forename: Ryouyu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mochizuki
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: Kouichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayano
authors.forename: Chisato
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Takenori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ochiai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000098:blood supply*; D002102:Cadaver; D016319:Corrosion Casting; D004210:Dissection; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology*