A case of a cystic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery with abnormal branching of the celiac trunk

Abstract Objective The celiac trunk normally has three branches; i.e. the left gastric, splenic, and common hepatic artery. It is known that the right hepatic artery occasionally branches from the superior mesenteric artery, while the cystic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery is extremely rare. A deeper understanding of cystic arterial variations is necessary for all physicians performing examinations and surgical procedures of the hepatobiliary system. Results The cystic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery was found in the cadaver of an 86-year-old woman during an anatomy dissection class at Aichi Medical University in 2015. In this case, the cystic artery ran along the dorsal side of the portal vein through Calot’s triangle to the gallbladder. The celiac trunk had four abnormal branches, one each to the left gastric, right hepatic, splenic, and left hepatic artery. The middle colic artery was absent and the left colic artery branching from the inferior mesenteric artery was distributed along the whole length of the transverse colon. In all cases of the cystic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery, the vessel ran along the dorsal side of the portal vein; in addition, the right hepatic artery arose from the superior mesenteric artery