Quadruple Arterial Blood Supply to the Liver: A Rare Variation

Abstract

Introduction: Vascular variations in the liver are significant to surgeons in liver transplantations, radiological procedures, laparoscopy and penetrating abdominal injuries. These variations are important in liver transplantation procedure, in addition to being an ideal opportunity for surgical anatomy study, their detailed identification is crucial to the success of the procedure. Case Report: During a routine cadaveric dissection of the abdomen for medical students at the department of Anatomy Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto Nigeria. A male adult cadaver with unknown identity and cause of death, was found to have four arterial branches to the liver, one each from the left gastric artery and common hepatic artery, a branch from the gastro-duodenal artery and the hepatic artery. Conclusion: Detailed knowledge of the variations of hepatic arterial anatomy is of utmost importance to surgeons who perform surgeries in this area, particularly in liver transplantation, since their identification and proper management are critical to the success of the procedure.