COELIAC TRUNK VARIATIONS:REVIEW WITH PROPOSED NEW CLASSIFICATION

Coeliac Trunk (CT), the first ventral branch of the abdominal aorta is the major source of blood supply to the supracolic abdominal compartment. Usually, it branches into the splenic, common hepatic and left gastric arteries to supply this region. Anatomical variations of celiac trunk and its branching pattern frequently found during cadaveric dissection and diagnostic radiological imaging have been reported by numerous authors. Although the variations in coeliac trunk are usually asymptomatic, they may become important in patients undergoing diagnostic angiography for gastrointestinal bleeding or prior to an operative procedure. The knowledge of this results in more accurate treatment. In the past many years, investigators have classified the CT based on its branching pattern. However, these classifications have not been able to encompass all the types of variations that have been reported till date. Therefore, in this article we have tried to include most of the types of variations reported till date and put forward a new classification of CT that incorporates most of the variations reported so far. Besides this an attempt has been made to explain the embryological basis of these variations.