Common hepatic artery !

The common hepatic artery is a branch of the celiac trunk that runs to the right toward the liver and gives blood to the liver, stomach and duodenum.

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What it is

A branch of the celiac trunk running to the right along the upper border of the pancreas; it divides into the proper hepatic and gastroduodenal arteries.

What it does

Starts the arterial supply of the liver, gallbladder, stomach and duodenum.

Key facts

Origin: Celiac trunk; runs to the right along the upper border of the pancreas
Branches: Gastroduodenal artery and hepatic artery proper (sometimes the right gastric)
Supplies: Liver, gallbladder, pylorus, first part of duodenum, pancreatic head (through its branches)

Relations

Course: From the celiac trunk it runs to the right behind the lesser sac along the upper border of the pancreas, then turns forward and up to the first part of the duodenum, where it divides
Below: Upper border of the head and neck of the pancreas
In front: Lesser sac, with the pylorus and the lesser omentum in front
Behind: Portal vein as it rises behind the first part of the duodenum; further back, the inferior vena cava

How to find it

Found in surgery by opening the lesser omentum and following the upper border of the pancreatic head and neck to the right of the celiac trunk; it then turns forward to the upper edge of the first part of the duodenum, where it forms the lower margin of the epiploic foramen and divides.

On imaging

CT angiography shows it running horizontally to the right above the pancreas; on ultrasound it forms one wing of the seagull sign with the splenic artery. Arterial-phase CT maps its variants before liver, pancreatic or gastric surgery and before catheter treatment of liver tumours.

Common problems

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA): a silent widening, more common in older men who smoke; rupture is life-threatening.

How it is diagnosed

Ultrasound screening; CT.

Treatment

Monitoring of small aneurysms; repair with a stent-graft through the groin arteries or open surgery for large ones.

Clinical notes

Before the gastroduodenal artery is tied in a pancreatoduodenectomy, it is clamped briefly while the hepatic pulse is checked: a fading pulse suggests celiac stenosis with liver flow coming from the superior mesenteric artery
Catheters for chemoembolization of liver tumours pass through it on the way to the hepatic arteries
In upper abdominal surgery it is found by following the upper border of the pancreas to the right from the celiac trunk

Anatomical variants

May arise from the superior mesenteric artery (replaced common hepatic artery) or directly from the aorta, both uncommon
Hepatosplenic trunk: it shares a trunk with the splenic artery while the left gastric artery arises separately

Hepatocellular carcinoma

Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

What is the course of the common hepatic artery and where does it end?

From the celiac trunk it runs right along the upper border of the pancreas to above the first part of the duodenum, where it divides into the gastroduodenal and proper hepatic arteries.

Why is tying the common hepatic artery before the gastroduodenal origin usually tolerated?

The gastroduodenal artery brings blood back from the superior mesenteric artery to the proper hepatic artery; tying the proper hepatic artery is riskier.

What is checked before the gastroduodenal artery is tied in a pancreatoduodenectomy?

It is clamped briefly while the hepatic pulse is felt: a fading pulse suggests celiac stenosis with liver flow coming from the superior mesenteric artery.

Which vein lies behind the common hepatic artery?

The portal vein, as it rises behind the first part of the duodenum; further back lies the inferior vena cava.

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

Its names

Official Latin (TA2): arteria hepatica communis TA2 4214
Official Spanish (DeCS): Arteria hepática DeCS D006499
English (TA2): Common hepatic artery
Also called: hepatic artery · arteria hepatica

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); DeCS; Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Celiac Trunk; Anatomy of the Human Body (20th ed.): The Abdominal Aorta (Lea & Febiger (Gray's Anatomy, 1918), 1918) · adapted, Public domain.

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.