Celiac axis as the upper origin of ascending left colic artery: an unusual multidetector computed tomography finding.

摘要

In a recent report, Maleux et al (1) described a complex variation of the origins of the mesenteric artery, namely a superior mesenteric artery (SMA) originating at the level of L1 and a common trunk for SMA and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) at the L5 level. This variation can be attributed to the embryologic development of vessels that interconnect the aorta's unpaired visceral branches. Here we report a case that shows this ontogenetically founded behavior to a particularly explicit pattern, namely, a large arterial anastomosis between the stem of the celiac axis (CA) and the IMA, without any direct communication to the SMA. This variation was found during a routine review of multidetector computed tomography angiographies of a 58-year-old female patient, followed up with for a lung carcinoma and for liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension.