Unusual blood supply to the pancreas by a dorsal pancreatic artery

A variation of the blood supply to the pancreas was observed in an 89-year- old female, in which the celiac trunk gave off four arteries: the hepatic, splenic, left gastric arteries and an additional dorsal pancreatic artery. One of the branches the dorsal pancreatic artery joined with the superior m esenteric artery to form a longitudinal anastomosis. The anterior and poste rior pancreaticoduodenal arcades arose from branches of the superior pancre aticoduodenal and the dorsal pancreatic arteries. The inferior pancreaticod uodenal artery, a branch of the superior mesenteric artery, was missing. Th e majority of the pancreas was, therefore supplied by the dorsal pancreatic artery. The clinical implications of this finding are that the size, locat ion and course of a dorsal pancreatic artery should be established given it s central role in the blood supply to the pancreas observed in the present study.