[Frequency of different sites of origin of the right gastric artery]

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of the different possibilities of the origin of the right gastric artery. The most frequent origin of the A. gastrica dextra was the A. hepatica propria (ca. 53%). Often the artery arised from the region where the A. hepatica communis divides into its branches (ca. 20%) or from the left hepatic branch (ca. 15%). In some cases (ca. 8%) it occurred as a branch of the A. gastroduodenalis and only in ca. 4% it arised from the A. hepatica communis. The findings concerning the frequency of the origin from the A. hepatica propria and from the A. hepatica communis are in accordance with the results obtained by some other authors. The observations concerning the frequency of the origin from some other arterial vessels (gastroduodenal artery, left and right hepatic branches and some other little branches) vary widely in the literature. As an incidental finding the observation of a truncus gastrolienalis and a truncus hepato- mesentericus has been made. Thereby the A. hepatica communis showed a flexuous course around the portal vein. In this connection the definition of the term "truncus hepato- mesentericus " is discussed.