The X-ray vascular anatomy of hepatogastric arteries and their significance in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the characteristics of hepatogastric artery (HGA) with DSA and its clinical significance in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods One thousand cases of hepatic DSA arteriograms had been retrospectively reviewed. The aberrant gastrointestinal arteries that originated from proper hepatic artery (PHA) or distal intrahepatic arteries to PHA were named HGA. Furthermore, according to their different courses and distributions, HGAs were subdivided into right gastric artery (RGA), aberrant left gastric artery (AbLGA), aberrant gastroduodenal artery (AbGDA), aberrant right gastroepiploic artery (AbRGEA), superior duodenal artery (SDA) and other difficult-to-named HGA. The incidence of each of them had been summed up and their anatomic characteristics such as origin, course, branches, and distribution had been described. Results Of the 1000 cases, at least one branch of HGA was found in 740 cases (74%), and altogether there were 839 branches of HGA in them. The composition of 839 branches of HGA was as follows 682 branches of RGA (81.29%, 682/839), 84 branches of AbLGA (10.01%, 84/839), 45 branches of SDA (5.36%, 45/839), 21 branches of AbGDA (2.50%, 21/839), 1 branch of AbRGEA (0.12%, 1/839) and 6 branches of difficult-to-named HGA (0.72%, 6/839). Of the 839 branches of HGA, 412 branches originated from PHA (49.11%, 412/839), 314 branches from left hepatic artery (LHA)(37.43%, 314/839), 98 branches from right hepatic artery (RHA)(11.68%, 98/839), and 15 branches from middle hepatic artery (MHA)(1.79%, 15/839). Conclusion HGA is a common gastrointestinal arterial variation and it is very important to be familiar with it so as to prevent the gastrointestinal complications after TACE in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.