The gastroduodenal artery is a terminal branch of the common hepatic artery that mainly supplies the pylorus of the stomach, proximal duodenum, and the head of the pancreas.
The relationship of the gastroduodenal artery to the first part of the duodenum and common bile duct is variable, and has been divided into 4 types:
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type 1 (63%): normal anatomy
origin is to the left of the common bile duct
drifts further leftwards (away from duct) as it descends behind the first part of the duodenum (D1)
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type 2 (20%)
origin is to the left of the common bile duct
drifts progressively closer to the bile duct without crossing it as it descends behind the first part of the duodenum (D1)
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type 3 (14%)
origin is to the left of the common bile duct
crosses the common bile duct anteriorly to lie on its right side behind the first part of the duodenum (D1)
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type 4 (3%)
origin is to the right of the common bile duct
remains to the right of common bile duct as it descends behind the first part of the duodenum (D1)
Case Discussion
Knowledge of the variant anatomy is important for planning hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery and interventional procedures.
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