Surgical and oncological implications of aberrant arterial anatomy in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy
Abstract
Whipple's pancreatoduodenectomy is a complex surgical procedure and any aberrant arterial anatomy may have serious surgical implications. The objective of our study was to analyse the frequency of aberrant hepatic artery and compare the outcomes in patients with normal anatomy. Clinical data and computed tomography scans of 45 consecutive patients who underwent Whipple's procedure from 2007 to 2016 were reviewed. Group 'A' included patients with aberrant hepatic artery while group 'B' with normal anatomy. Aberrant hepatic artery was present in 11 (24%) patients and type V was the most common variant (n=5, 45%). Morbidity rate in group A was 82% and group B was 62% (p= 0.288), while 30-day mortality rate was 18% and 9% respectively (p=0.582). There was no difference in the oncological clearance in both the groups. Aberrant hepatic artery does not seem to influence the morbidity, mortality and tumour resection margins in patients undergoing Whipple's procedure.