Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Anatomy, Arteries / Aorta, Vascular, CT, CT-Angiography, Diagnostic procedure, Normal variants, Congenital
Authors:
A. Posa1, R. Iezzi2, F. Carchesio1, R. Manfredi2; 1Roma/IT, 2Rome/IT
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2018/C-2552
Background
The celiac trunk provides the arterial supply for the liver,
gallbladder,
spleen,
pancreas,
stomach,
distal oesophagus,
and proximal duodenum.
Variants of the normal anatomy of the celiac trunk are a common finding in CT examinations and their knowledge is mandatory for surgical and interventional radiology treatment planning,
as well as in the treatment of abdominal bleedings.
Embriology
Celiac trunk develops during the 1st trimester of gestation,
and its anatomical variations result from mismatching of the pair of ventral segmental arteries during their fusion.
In particular,
during the 3rd week,
the paired dorsal Aortas give rise to several bilateral ventral segmental arteries that supply the abdominal organs; during the 4th and 5th week,
the dorsal Aortas fuse into the abdominal Aorta.
Progressively,
the paired ventral segmental arteries coalesce on the midline during the development of the gut and of the layers of the mesenterium.
The normal anatomy of the celiac trunk is present in 40% of cases,
giving rise to the common hepatic artery,
the left gastric artery,
and the splenic artery (Fig.
1).
Variants of anatomy of the celiac trunk are congenital malformations depending upon an incorrect development in one of the described steps.