The aim of this study was to establish a plan of the arterial distribu
tion to the main supraduodenal biliary tract in order to draw practica
l conclusions for biliary surgery, especially in bilio-alimentary and
bilio-biliary anastomoses and liver transplantation. It was based on a
study of 60 fresh subjects and was carried out using four different m
ethods: dissection after injection of colored latex into the superior
mesenteric a. (10 subjects), radiography and dissection after injectio
n of Micropaque into the celiac trunk (10), dissection after injection
of Indian ink into the common hepatic a. (10) and radiography and dis
section after selective injection of the right hepatic a. or the gastr
oduodenal a. (30). Analysis of the results leads to definition of thre
e types of vascularisation and two territories, superior and inferior,
overlapping at the level of the mouth of the cystic duct. The practic
al implications for biliary surgery and liver transplantation are disc
ussed.