Cadaveric and CT angiography study of vessels around the transverse colon mesentery

Laparoscopic and robotic surgery for transverse colon cancer are difficult due to complex fusion of the foregut and midgut and variation of the vessels of the transverse colon. Although the vessels of the right colon have been investigated, middle colic artery (MCA) variation and the relationship with vessels around the transvers colon are unknown. We investigated variation of the MCA using computed tomography angiography (CTA) and cadaver specimen and the relationship between the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) and MCA using CTA. The classification of vessels around the transverse colon may lead to safer and reliable surgery.

This study included 505 consecutive patients who underwent CTA in our institution from 2014 to 2020 and 44 cadaver specimens. Vascular anatomical classifications and relationships were analyzed using CT images.

The MCA was defined as the arteries arising from the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) that flowed into the transverse colon at the distal ends. The classifications were as follows: type I, branching right and left from common trunk; type II, the right and left branches bifurcated separately from the SMA; and type III, the MCA branched from a vessel other than the SMA. Type II was subclassified into two subtypes, type IIa with one left branch and type IIb with two or more left branches from SMA. In the CTA and cadaver studies, respectively, the classifications were as follows: type I, n = 290 and n = 31; type IIa, n = 211 and n = 13; type IIb, n = 3 and n = 0; and type III, n = 1 and n = 0. We classified the relationship between the MCA and left side of the SMV into three types: type A, a common trunk runs along the left edge of the SMV (n = 173; 59.7%); type B, a right branch of the MCA runs along the left edge of the SMV (n = 116; 40.0%); and type C, the MCA runs dorsal of the SMV (n = 1; 0.3%).

This study revealed that The MCA branching classifications and relationship between the SMV and MCA. Preoperative CT angiography may be able to reliably identify vessel variation, which may be useful in clinical practice.