To evaluate the frequency and variations of upper abdominal area arteries through multi-slice computed tomography

The data of 360 patients aged between 5 and 83 to whom routine contrast enhanced upper abdominal computed tomography (CT) examination applied were studied without distinction of age and gender. No additional procedure was applied to the patients expect for routine CT. The data were evaluated at a work station. The origin levels of upper abdomen arteries from abdominal aorta were determined according to vertebral column. The variations of coeliac trunk and its branches, superior mesenteric artery (SMA), and both renal arteries were determined. For each segment, frequency of origin levels, variations, variation frequencies, and differences between genders were studiedThe most frequent origin levels were as follows: coeliac trunk, lower level of T12 vertebra; SMA, upper level of L1 vertebra; both renal artery, L1-L2 intervertebral disc level; and inferior mesenteric artery, lower level of L3 vertebra. The variation rate in coeliac trunk was %18.2. The most frequent variation was right hepatic artery originated from SMA. In splenic artery, it has been seen that the most frequent variation was the gastrosplenic trunk. The gastrosplenic trunk were mostly encountered in left gastric artery variations. The situation that gastroduodenal artery (GDA) arose with hepatic arteries from the same level at common hepatic artery was the mostly determined GDA variation. The seperation of the hepatic artery with GDA from the same level was the most frequent variation of hepatic artery. The most frequent variation of SMA was the arose of replaced hepatic artery from SMA. At renal arteries, early branching variation has been most frequently determined. Aberrant renal artery has been mostly determined on the left. In terms of studied criteria, no significant statistical differences have been detected in all of the arteries between genders.In literature and according to this study, in renal and hepatic arteries there were more variations than the other upper abdomen area arteries. Knowledge of the variations is of greater importance for visceral surgery and interventional radyology planning.