Replaced Right Hepatic Artery Originating from the Common Hepatic Artery: A Case Report

Abstract

<jats:p>The presence of an aberrant right hepatic artery is the most frequently encountered vascular anomaly during pancreaticoduodenectomy, and its recognition and preservation are of paramount importance to prevent ischemia of the bile duct and consequently the bilioenteric anastomosis, which can lead to anastomotic leak or dehiscence and fistula. In this case report, we describe proximal branching of the common hepatic artery (CHA) to give rise to a replaced right hepatic artery (RHA), which courses posterior to the portal vein (PV) and common bile duct (CBD) to the right lobe of the liver. The location of this replaced RHA in the hepatoduodenal ligament is consistent with the location of a replaced RHA described by the Michels classification, although with the important distinction that origin was the CHA instead of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). From our review of the current literature, this is the first published description of such an anatomic course of the RHA.</jats:p>