A case of the inferior mesenteric artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery in a Korean woman.
Anatomical variations of the inferior mesenteric artery are extremely uncommon, since the inferior mesenteric artery is regularly diverged at the level of the third lumbar vertebra. We found a rare case in which the inferior mesenteric artery arose from the superior mesenteric artery. The findings were made during a routine dissection of the cadaver of an 82-yr-old Korean woman. This is the tenth report on this anomaly, the second female and the first Korean. The superior mesenteric artery normally arising from abdominal aorta sent the inferior mesenteric artery as the second branch. The longitudinal anastomosis vessels between the superior mesenteric artery and inferior mesenteric artery survived to form the common mesenteric artery. This anatomical variation concerning the common mesenteric artery is of clinical importance, performing procedures containing the superior mesenteric artery.
Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, Korea.
Seung Jin
SJ
Yoo
Min Jung
MJ
Ku
Sa Sun
SS
Cho
Sang Pil
SP
Yoon
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000002:abnormalities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017537:Mesenteric Artery, Inferior / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D017538:Mesenteric Artery, Superior / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D056910:Republic of Korea