The parasitic blood supply of abdominal masses

Many lesions, and particularly hyper-vascularized ones, acquire an aberrant blood supply. These parasitic vascular supplies are defined as tumour vascularizations derived from neighbouring organs or structures, and supplement the normal blood supply of the diseased organ. Their existence is essential for the angiography of abdominal masses. We selected 35 cases of abdominal masses with parasitic vascular networks. Twenty-four belonged to an initial review of 117 angiographic studies of abdominal masses. Eleven have been added in accordance with the theme of this work. Parasitic circulations should be taken into account because of their effects on the angiographic technique, their diagnostic possibilities and limitations, and their importance in the management of the patient.