Retroportal proper hepatic artery with malrotated gut.

he celiac trunk is the artery supplying the upper abdominal organs, mainly the lower part of esophagus, stomach, parts of duodenum, liver, gallbladder, spleen and pancreas. It normally trifurcates into the left gastric artery (LGA), the common hepatic artery (CHA) and the splenic artery (SA) at the superior border of the pancreas. This ‘normal variant’ of the vessel has been observed in 89.8 % cadaveric dissections in the Japanese population by Chen et al. (2009). Prakash et al. (2012) reported a normally trifurcating celiac trunk in 86 % of the south Indian population. The CHA branches from the celiac trunk, forms the gastroduodenal artery (GDA) and a proper hepatic artery (PHA), which further divides distally into right and left hepatic arteries. This normal origin and branching of CHA has been observed in 52–80 % of individuals (Michels 1966; Nelson et al. 1988; Hiatt et al. 1994; Koops et al. 2004; Chen et al. 2009). In a large series of 604 selective celiac and superior mesenteric angiographies, aberrant or anomalous vasculature was reported in 20.9 % of individuals by Koops et al. (2004). This knowledge and recognition of anomalous/aberrant or accessory vasculature in the upper abdomen, occurring in about one-fifth of the population is of vital importance to the hepatico-biliary-pancreatic surgeon to avoid iatrogenic injuries and complications, as well as to the interventional radiologist performing trans-arterial chemo-ablative procedures.