Clinical relevance of variations in the origin of inferior phrenic arteries.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The inferior phrenic arteries are major source of collateral arterial supply to hepatocellular carcinoma second only to the hepatic artery. The right inferior phrenic artery is one of the chief postoperative bleeding sources in liver transplant recipients. The aim of the present study was to identify the variations in origin of inferior phrenic arteries. Methods: We dissected inferior phrenic arteries in 100 human adult cadavers (75 males and 25 females) for the origin of both inferior phrenic arteries. Results: We found variant origin of left inferior phrenic artery in 22 male cadavers and in 7 female cadavers. The variant origin of right inferior phrenic artery was found in 27 male cadavers and in 8 female cadavers. Conclusion: The higher incidences of variant origin of inferior phrenic arteries have major clinical implications in the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.