Eur J Anat, 18 (2): 118-119 (2014)

Superior polar artery arising from the splenic artery: a case report

Sukhinder Baidwan¹, P.K.Gupta¹ and Kunal Chawla²

¹Dept. of Anatomy, Gian Sagar Medical College & Hospital, Ramnagar, Patiala, Punjab, India and ²Dept. of Anatomy, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India

ABSTRACT The splenic artery shows numerous variations in its origin, course and branching pattern. Anatomical knowledge of variations of the branching pattern of the splenic artery is necessary to successfully accomplish surgical, oncologic or any interventional procedures on organs of the supracolic part of the abdominal cavity. This study reports the presence of a variant superior polar artery in a sixty year old male cadaver. A superior polar branch of the splenic artery, if present, usually arises 3-5 cm proximal to the splenic hilum and has an average length of 3.9 cm. We describe a rare variation of the superior polar artery 7.6 cm long and arising 6.4 cm proximal to the splenic hilum. Prior knowledge of the presence of such a variation can contribute to avoiding iatrogenic injuries and inadvertent complications during splenic surgery.

Keywords: Superior polar artery, Splenic artery, Splenic hilum