A case of abnormally dilated and tortuous arc of Buhler and pancreaticoduodenal arteries in the absence of celiac trunk stenosis.

INTRODUCTION

The Arc of Buhler is a rare vascular variant describing a persistent remnant of the embryologic ventral anastomosis between the celiac trunk (CT) and superior mesenteric artery (SMA), invariably reported in the context of CT stenosis.

PURPOSE: To report a case of (1) a large and tortuous pancreaticoduodenal arcade and (2) a large and tortuous Arc of Buhler in the absence of celiac axis stenosis.

METHODS

The variant was discovered during routine cadaver dissection. We acquired transverse biopsies of variant vessels and evaluated their wall thickness.

RESULTS

The donor's anterior PDA, posterior PDA, and Arc of Buhler had larger diameters, and the common hepatic artery had a smaller diameter than the literature-reported values of a standard human body. The posterior PDA had significantly increased wall thickness compared to the other investigated vessels.

CONCLUSIONS

The Arc of Buhler is a rare remnant of the embryologic ventral anastomosis that is estimated to be hemodynamically active in only half of cases. Previous reports have documented hemodynamically active Arcs of Buhler only in cases of CT stenosis. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is a unique case of a persistent and hemodynamically active Arc of Buhler in the absence of CT stenosis. Clinicians should be aware of this variant as its abnormal position may increase risk of herniation and surgical complications, and its tortuosity may increase risk of clot formation.