Absence of the celiac trunk: case report using MDCT angiography

The authors describe a case of a 57-year-old male patient with peripheral vascular disease which presented on MDCT angiography the absence of the celiac trunk (CT). The left gastric artery (LGA), common hepatic artery (CHA), and splenic artery (SA) (with an internal diameter at origin of 3.3, 6.0, and 6.2 mm, respectively) originated directly and independently from the abdominal aorta (AA). The LGA arose from the anterior wall of the AA [27 mm above the origin of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA)]. The SA and CHA arose from the left side of the anterolateral wall of the AA at 19 and 14 mm (respectively) above the origin of the SMA. The incidence and developmental and clinical significance of this vascular variation are discussed with a detailed review of the literature.