title: Anatomo-radiological patterns of pancreatic vascularization, with surgical implications: Clinical and anatomical study.
abstract: The pancreas receives multiple arterial sources that should be considered in patients undergoing pancreatic surgery. The aim of this study is to describe pancreatic vascularization and to explore the anatomical basis of postoperative complications. Ten specimens from unembalmed cadavers, including the retroperitoneal vessels and organs and spleen, were injected with acrylic resins to obtain vascular casts. Thirty computed tomography angiographies (CTA) of subjects with no pancreatic pathology (mean age 70.9 years) were also analyzed. A paucivascular area at the neck of the pancreas was apparent in all vascular casts. At CTA: (1) the transverse pancreatic artery, the only artery running from the cervicocephalic to the somatocaudal segment, was visible in 76.9% of cases; (2) the splenic artery was suprapancreatic in 66.7% and intrapancreatic with a tortuous course in 33.3%; (3) the posterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery was visible in 100% of cases, the anterior superior pancreatico-duodenal artery in 92.6%, the anterior inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery in 73.1%, the posterior inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery in 86.4%, the dorsal pancreatic artery in 65.4%, the great pancreatic artery in 73.1%, and the pancreatic arteries to the body and caudal pancreatic arteries in 96.2%. Our study demonstrated great individual variability of the pancreatic vasculature, which can be explored by CTA and could be relevant to surgical procedures. Clin. Anat. 30:614-624, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Institute of Human Anatomy, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Macchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Institute of Human Anatomy, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Edgardo Enrico Edoardo
authors.initials: EEE
authors.lastname: Picardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Institute of Human Anatomy, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Porzionato
authors.affiliation: Section of Radiology, Euganea Medica Center, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morra
authors.affiliation: UOC General Surgery, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Gastroenterological sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Romeo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bardini
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, St. George's University, West Indies, Grenada.
authors.forename: Marios
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2811-6657
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loukas
authors.affiliation: Seattle Science Foundation, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: R Shane
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1317-1047
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tubbs
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Institute of Human Anatomy, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2307-0277
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Caro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D063405:Anatomic Variation; D000072226:Computed Tomography Angiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010179:Pancreas / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: anatomy; artery; computed tomography angiography; pancreas; pancreaticoduodenectomy