Right hepatic artery branching off the superior mesenteric artery and its potential implications

Author(s): Judy J. Moon, Coen A. Wijdicks and James M. Williams*

Detection of a replaced right hepatic artery by surgeons and radiologists is crucial, not only for liver transplantation but prior to any abdominal surgery, for this unnoticed variant is vulnerable to inadvertent ligation. Despite potential risks, a replaced right hepatic artery in the right lobe of the donor liver will provide a larger graft, is more easily isolated, and can be anastomosed under loupe magnification. It may also reduce the risk of post-operative ischemia in the biliary tract of the recipient, since there is no threat of losing crucial feeding branches from the main or left hepatic artery during retrieval.

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