A rare branching pattern of hindgut: absence of inferior mesenteric artery

Abstract

The arterial system of the gastrointestinal tract has many variations. However, variation in the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) is less common than for the other abdominal arteries. The case in the present cadaver subject showed a variation in the anatomy of the IMA that differed from those seen in previous studies, because it did not originate from the abdominal aorta and had no branches. A single artery arising from branches of the inferior pancreaticoduodenal and middle colic arteries supplied the hindgut. This variation generated blood vessels along the digestive tract during the later stages of development. The marginal artery of the colon in this case probably was more highly developed instead of the IMA. It is clinically important to know the range of variations, as these data are used in the diagnosis and treatment of abdominal diseases. This hitherto unknown variation might affect the health of patients, and we recommend radiographic examinations for diagnosis and treatment.

Laparoscopic low anterior resection for rectal cancer wherein the inferior mesenteric artery arose from the superior mesenteric artery: a case report

“…Using "variation" and "inferior mesenteric artery" as search keywords, we identified six papers describing anatomical abnormal branching of the root of IMA in autopsy cases reported on PubMed from 1968 to 2021 [9][10][11][12][13][14]. However, we found only case report in the English literature for colorectal cancer cases wherein IMA arose from the SMA.…”

An Inferior Mesenteric Artery Arising From the Left Common Iliac Artery

“…According to the available literature, IMA is spotted to arise from the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) with an incidence less than 0,1% [10][11][12][13][14] or as a branch of a celiac-bimesenteric trunk in one case [15,16], is noted to be totally absent, replaced by an artery arising from branches of the inferior pancreaticoduodenal and middle colic arteries in one case [8], is discovered having the same trunk with a right accessory renal artery [14], and detected [17]. In the present case we report an IMA with a point of origin above the aortic bifurcation and specifically from the LIA.…”