A case of celiaco-mesenteric trunk
Higashi, N.; Sone, C.
Kaibogaku Zasshi. Journal of Anatomy 62(5): 550-556
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-7722 PMID: 3328461 Document Number: 303445
This report describes an anomalous case involving the celiaco-mesenteric trunk, encountered during the dissection of a 77-year-old Japanese female cadaver in the anatomical laboratory of Kanazawa Medical University [Japan]. This case had a so-called celiaco-mesenteric trunk, the common trunk of the celiac artery and the superior mesenteric artery. From its origin in the abdominal aorta, the celiaco-mesenteric trunk divided into the celiac and the superior mesenteric arteries. The order of the celiac trunk branches were: (1) left gastric artery, (2) splenic artery, (3) gastroduodenal artery and (4) right gastric artery. The order of the superior mesenteric artery branches were: (1) communicating branch (splenic artery-superior mesenteric artery), (2) common trunk (inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery, jejunal arteries (I, II, III) and middle colic artery) and (3) jejunal artery (IV). Our case of the celiaco-mesenteric trunk belonged to type IV of Adachi's (1928) classification, type TM-I' of Morita's (1935) classification and type I of Higashi et al.'s (1983) classification. Tandler (1904) suggested the embryological aspects of the formation of the celiac and the superior mesenteric arteries. Based on Tandler's investigation (1904), we thought that the first root (primary artery) and the longitudinal anastomosis participated in the formation of the celiaco-mesenteric trunk. This case had an accessory middle colic artery branching from the dorsal pancreatic artery that communicated between the splenic and the superior mesenteric arteries. Concerning the middle colic, an accessory middle colic and the left colic arteries, Okamoto et al. (1984) suggested that the dorsal pancreatic and the intermesenteric arteries participated in the formation of its abnormal arteries. From an embryological view, Feigl et al. (1975) suggested that the longitudinal anastomosis participated in the formation of the abnormal arteries. However, our case had the celiaco-mesenteric trunk and an accessory middle colic arteries. Since it has been considered embryologically that the longitudinal anastomosis participated in the formation of the celiaco-mesenteric trunk and an accessory middle colic artery, it was appropriate toi consider that there were two longitudinal anastomoses of the paired or different anastomosis in the formation of the two arteries. Higashi et al. (1986) suggested that paired longitudinal anastomosis occurred in the formative process of the celiac and the superior mesenteric arteries. We think that this case is an important abnormal case in finding the formative process of the celiac, the superior mesenteric and the dorsal pancreatic arteries. Other abnormalities included an inferior phrenic artery that branched from the right renal artery in the form of a bilateral common trunk.