E-ISSN: 1305-3612
The significance of the right hepatic artery originating from the superior mesenteric artery in patients with cavernous transformation of the portal vein
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Abdominal Imaging - Original Article
VOLUME: 15 ISSUE: 1
P: 31-35
March 2009

The significance of the right hepatic artery originating from the superior mesenteric artery in patients with cavernous transformation of the portal vein

Diagn Interv Radiol 2009;15(1):31-35
Ayşe Erden 1
Ebru Düşünceli 2
Evren Üstüner 3
Yasemin Genç 4
1. Departments of Radiology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
2. From the Department of Radiology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
3. Departments of Radiology Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
4. From the Departments of Biostatistics, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
No information available.
No information available
Received Date: 08.07.2008
Accepted Date: 19.09.2008
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ABSTRACT

PURPOSE

Dilatation of the hepatic artery in response to decrease in portal vein flow is known as hepatic arterial buffer response (HABR). In this study, the effect of HABR on variant hepatic arterial anatomy is investigated by analyzing the frequency of the right hepatic artery originating from the superior mesenteric artery (variant artery) and by determining the diameters of variant artery and common hepatic artery (CHA) in patients with cavernous transformation of the portal vein.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-one patients who were referred for contrast-enhanced abdominal magnetic resonance angiography were retrospectively evaluated in two groups: group 1 (n = 15), cirrhotic patients with cavernous transformation of the portal vein; and group 2 (n = 26), cirrhotic patients without cavernous transformation of the portal vein.

RESULTS

The frequency of the variant artery was significantly higher (53%) in patients with cavernous transformation of the portal vein (P < 0.01) than those without cavernous transformation (11.5%). The mean diameters of the CHA and the variant artery in 2 groups were not significantly different.

CONCLUSION

Vasodilatation at the level of intrahepatic arterioles (HABR) in response to diminished portal flow may be a factor that increases the frequency of the variant hepatic artery.

Keywords:
thrombosis, portal vein, hepatic artery, variations, anatomic