Atypical course of a common hepatic artery branch: a case report and review of new classifications of hepatic arterial variability
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Advances in surgical techniques involving lobectomy, segmentectomy, and liver transplantation, as well as transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, require thorough knowledge of the arterial vascularization of the liver. Knowledge of the origins and topography of replaced or accessory hepatic arteries is particularly important. In this paper, we report a case of early bifurcation of the common hepatic artery (EBCHA), a rare anatomical variant (1%). It is often overlooked, which can lead to accidental ligation of a replaced right hepatic artery during surgery and potentially very serious complications. However, this case is considered a normal pattern in the classic classifications of hepatic arteries, as are some other rare cases that remain unclassified. We present the new common, right, left (CRL) and extended CRL (ex-CRL) classifications available in the literature and propose our modification, called adv-CRL, which considers not only the origin but also the topography of replaced or accessory hepatic arteries.
Source: Folia Morphologica
DOI: 10.5603/fm.107050
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4414625396