INDEPENDENT ORIGIN OF THE HEPATIC AND SPLENIC ARTERIES FROM THE ABDOMINAL-AORTA - CT DEMONSTRATION

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to illustrate the CT appearance of the independent origin of the hepatic and splenic arteries from the abdominal aorta. Method: A retrospective review of available scans fr om 159 consecutive contrast-enhanced abdominal CT examinations was und ertaken to document the frequency with which this vascular variant is seen at helical CT. Results: Independent origin of the hepatic and spl enic arteries was seen in 2 of 159 examinations (1.3%). This correlate s well with the 1% incidence reported in the angiographic and surgical literature. Conclusion: Independent origin of the hepatic and splenic arteries from the aorta should be seen in similar to 1% of abdominal CT examinations. Knowledge of this vascular variant and its CT appeara nce may prevent confusion or mislabeling.