Distance from Left Renal Vein to Inferior Pancreaticoduodenal Artery: A Landmark for Identifying Inferior Pancreaticoduodenal Artery in Pancreatoduodenectomy.

BACKGROUND/AIM: During pancreatoduodenectomy, early ligation of major afferent arteries to pancreatic head prior to dissection of the corresponding veins may reduce intraoperative bleeding. Inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery (IPDA), one of the major afferent arteries, is difficult to identify. We measured the distance from left renal vein to IPDA based on preoperative multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) images for use as a new landmark for IPDA.

METHODS

The distance between left renal vein and IPDA was measured in 417 patients using MDCT images.

RESULTS

IPDA was identified on MDCT images in 415 out of the 417 patients (99.5%). The root of IPDA was located on cranial side of the root of left renal vein in 88 among the 415 patients (21.2%), and the distance was expressed as negative in these cases. The distance was 6.09 ± 7.46 mm. The distance when IPDA formed a common vessel with first jejunal artery (8.03 ± 6.74 mm; 323 cases, 77.8%) was significantly longer than when IPDA branched directly from superior mesenteric artery (SMA; -0.81 ± 5.74 mm; 62 cases, 15.0%) or posterior and anterior IPDAs branched separately from SMA (-2.04 ± 5.36 mm; 30 cases, 7.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

The distance between left renal vein and IPDA can serve as a landmark for IPDA identification.