Quick Facts
Origin: The celiac trunk.
Course: Travels laterally towards the liver.
Branches: Gastroduodenal artery and hepatic artery proper.
Supplied Structures: Liver, gallbladder, stomach, pancreas, and duodenum.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The common hepatic artery arises from the celiac trunk.
Course
The common hepatic artery first courses in an anterolateral direction superior to the pancreas. It continues towards the first portion of the duodenum where it gives rise the right gastric artery.
It then travels anterosuperiorly and bifurcates into its terminal branches; the gastroduodenal artery and the hepatic artery proper.
Branches
The first branch of the common hepatic artery, the right gastric artery, anastomosis with the left gastric artery.
The gastroduodenal artery travels inferiorly and divides into its terminal branches; the right gastroomental and anterior pancreaticoduodenal arteries.
The hepatic artery proper crosses the portal vein anteriorly and bifurcates into the left and right hepatic arteries.
Supplied Structures
The right gastric artery anastomosis with the left gastric artery to supply the lesser curvature of the stomach.
The gastroduodenal artery supplies the greater curvature of the stomach and greater omentum via the right gastroomental artery. This artery anastomosis with the left gastroomental artery, a branch of the splenic artery.
The gastroduodenal artery also gives several branches to supply portions of the pancreas and duodenum. The main branches are the anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal and posterior superior pancreaticoduodenal arteries.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Common Hepatic Artery
Isolated hepatic arteries are defined as hepatic terminal arterioles that are not accompanied by portal venules or bile ductules and penetrate the liver parenchyma and distribute to the hepatic capsule and intrahepatic hepatic veins.
