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Updated: Jun 30, 2025
Multimodality Diagnosis of Mesenteric Ischemia
Published on: July 21, 2023
A morphological study of the inferior phrenic arteries on multidetector computed tomography and angiography
Roman Pavlov1, Miroslav Belbl1, Jan Křeček2
1Department of Anatomy, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, V Úvalu 84, Praha 5 150 06, Czech Republic; Center for Endoscopic, Surgical and Clinical Anatomy (CESKA), Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, V Úvalu 84, Praha 5 150 06, Czech Republic.
Introduction:
The inferior phrenic artery is a paired artery with a variable origin and course, primarily supplying the diaphragm, but also the suprarenal glands, inferior vena cava, stomach, and oesophagus. The aim of this study is to investigate the origin and course of the inferior phrenic arteries on multidetector computed tomography and angiography.
Materials And Methods:
The anatomy of the inferior phrenic artery was analysed on 2449 multidetector computed tomography scans. Three-dimensional reconstructions were made of the main variations. Additionally, the course and branching pattern of the inferior phrenic artery were descriptively analysed in a cohort of 28 angiograms.
Results:
In 565 (23.1%) cases the inferior phrenic arteries arose as a common trunk and in 1884 (76.9%) cases as individual vessels. The most common origins of a common trunk were the coeliac trunk (n=303; 53.6%) and abdominal aorta (n=255; 45.1%). The most common origins of the right inferior phrenic artery were the coeliac trunk (n=965; 51.2%), abdominal aorta (n=562; 29.8%) and renal arteries (n=214; 11.4%). The most common origins of the left inferior phrenic artery were the coeliac trunk (n=1293; 68.6%) and abdominal aorta (n=403; 21.4%).
Conclusion:
The inferior phrenic artery has a very variable anatomy. The most common origins of the inferior phrenic artery are the coeliac trunk and its branches, the abdominal aorta, and the renal arteries.
