title: Visualization of the segment IV hepatic artery using 128-section MDCT angiography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To visualize the segment IV hepatic artery and to evaluate the variations in anatomy using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) angiography.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred and seventeen patients (381 men and 236 women; mean age 62.7 ± 8.1 years; age range 22-92 years) who underwent MDCT angiography performed using a 128-section MDCT system were included in the study. The segment IV hepatic arteries of 453 patients with adequate image quality were displayed using volume rendering (VR), maximum intensity projection (MIP), and multiplanar reconstruction (MPR), and were analysed regarding the origination and variation of the arteries by two radiologists and an anatomist retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Segment IV arteries were categorized into five different types according to their points of origin: left hepatic artery (LHA, 51.66%), right hepatic artery (RHA, 30.68%), proper hepatic artery (PHA, 5.3%), dual (12.14%), and triple (0.22%). Segment IV arteries arising from normal LHA, RHA, and PHA were found in 73.73% of patients, and those arising from variant LHA or RHA were found in 26.27%. The patterns RN2, LA2, LA3, LA4, PN2, PV1, DA1, DA2, DV3, and DV4 were first reported in the present study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MDCT angiography can evaluate normal as well as anatomical variants of segment IV arteries. Predicting arterial patterns of segment IV of the liver is important in planning and performing all radiological and surgical procedures in the liver, especially in hemi-liver graft procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Republic of Korea; Department of Radiology, Taishan Medical University Taishan Hospital, Taian, China.
authors.forename: Y Z
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Taishan Medical University Taishan Hospital, Taian, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Gung Ho
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Taishan Medical University Taishan Hospital, Taian, China.
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Xiu Juan
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Li Tao
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Taishan Medical University Taishan Hospital, Taian, China.
authors.forename: Zhen Bo
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ok Hee
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyoung Tae
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: asch@jbnu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Chang Ho
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000792:Angiography; D005260:Female; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity