[Branching patterns of the celiac artery as the hepato-gastro-splenic trunk]

Although the celiac artery is a common trunk of the left gastric, splenic, and common hepatic arteries, its branching pattern varies. Indeed, even among anatomy textbooks, there is disagreement on which pattern is standard. In the present study, we identified the standard pattern of celiac artery branching by examining 186 Japanese cadavers. Celiac arteries with the three main branches were found in 91.4% (170/186) of the cadavers. These 170 cases were then classified into 4 types (Types I-IV). Type I, in which the first branch was the left gastric artery, accounted for 132 cases (71.0%). Thirty-one cases (16.7%) were Type II, in which the three main arteries branched out at the same vertebral level. Type III, in which the common hepatic artery was the first branch, accounted for 4 cases (2.2%). Finally, 3 cases (1.6%) were Type IV, in which the splenic artery was the first branch. These findings suggest that the Type I phenotype is the standard branching pattern of the celiac artery in Japanese. The artery's developmental process was also discussed.