title: Right hepatic artery crossing the common hepatic artery: an unusual blood supply to the liver.
abstract: To perform hepatic surgery a precise preoperative and intraoperative study of liver vascular supply is mandatory. Detecting vascular variations may have great importance on surgical strategy and outcome, and details of anatomy do not concern only academical knowledge but become deeply involved in practice. We present a case of unusual blood supply to the liver, the common hepatic artery was directed to the right liver and a right hepatic artery originating from the superior mesenteric artery was directed to the left liver. The right hepatic artery crossed the common hepatic artery in the proximal part of the hepatic pedicle, anterior to the portal vein. To our knowledge this type of anatomical variation has not been described before and it represents a rare finding that has to be kept in mind, especially in case of major hepatectomies and more demanding splitting liver procedures such as A.L.P.P.S., in situ split, ex situ split and living donor liver transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Transplant Liver Surgery Unit, S. Camillo Hospital, Circ.ne Gianicolense 87, 00151, Rome, Lazio, Italy. e.felli@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Felli
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Transplant Liver Surgery Unit, S. Camillo Hospital, Circ.ne Gianicolense 87, 00151, Rome, Lazio, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vennarecci
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Transplant Liver Surgery Unit, S. Camillo Hospital, Circ.ne Gianicolense 87, 00151, Rome, Lazio, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Transplant Liver Surgery Unit, S. Camillo Hospital, Circ.ne Gianicolense 87, 00151, Rome, Lazio, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guglielmo
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Transplant Liver Surgery Unit, S. Camillo Hospital, Circ.ne Gianicolense 87, 00151, Rome, Lazio, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ettorre
mesh_terms: D063405:Anatomic Variation; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply*; D008102:Liver Circulation; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Anatomic variations; Arterial supply; Hepatectomy; Liver anatomy