Anatomical variants of the hepatic artery: An Australian perspective

Aims and Objective: This cadaver-based study aimed to identify variants of the hepatic artery within the Australian population. Currently, original research toward the Australian population is limited.

Methods: Two hundred cadavers were donated over five years to The University of Melbourne. Each cadaver was dissected by experienced anatomists. A range of variants were described, and the rates in this study were compared to the rates observed in global literature.

Results: One hundred and eighty one (90.5%) specimens demonstrated normal anatomy (typically 55-81%). Of those with variant anatomy 9 (4.5%) had accessory arteries (typically 5.4- 20%), 5 (2.5%) had an aberrant right hepatic artery (typically 3.7- 11%), and 6 (3%) had an early branching of the common hepatic artery which is not typically independently reported.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that Australian cadavers have a unique distribution of hepatic artery variants. This further emphasizes the dissimilarity of the rates of anatomical variation found globally and in turn the benefit of international exposure