Duplicated hepatic artery: Radiologic and surgical implications

Preoperative angiography of the coeliac trunk and superior mesenteric artery is routinely performed before liver resections and transplantations. For this purpose, it is usual to inject each branch of the coeliac trunk separately. Selective angiographic studies, however, may lead to overlooking surgically essential anatomic variations of the hepatic blood supply, as demonstrated by the present report. A case of a duplicated hepatic artery is presented, its radiologic and surgical implications discussed, and the relevant literature reviewed. This uncommon and particularly evocative feature illustrates the clinical importance of a sound knowledge of anatomical variants.