ABSTRACT
Background: Aberrant right hepatic arteries (aRHA) are frequently encountered during pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Their effects on surgical morbidity and resection margin are still debated. This study aimed to compare the short term and long term outcomes in patients with and without aRHA. Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis of 353 consecutive PD during a 5-year period was done. The type of arterial supply was determined preoperatively by CT and confirmed at surgery. Hiatt types III-VI included some type of aRHA and comprised the study group. Hiatt types I and II were considered irrelevant for PD and used as controls. Primary endpoints were the rates of major postoperative complications and the rate of R0-resection in cases of malignant disease. Secondary endpoints included duration of surgery, postoperative stay, number of harvested lymph nodes and survival in patients with pancreatic cancer. Own results were compared to existent data using a systematic review of the literature. Results: No aRHA had to be sacrificed or reconstructed. Surgical morbidity and specific complications such as post-pancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH), pancreatic fistula and bile leak were the same in patients with and without aRHA. There was no significant difference in operative time, blood loss, length of ICU- and hospital stay. Patients with malignancy had similar high rates of R0-resection and identical number of harvested lymph nodes. Survival of patients with pancreatic cancer was not affected by aRHA. Conclusions: aRHA may be preserved in virtually all cases of PD for resectable pancreatic head lesions without increasing surgical morbidity and without compromising oncological radicality in patients with cancer, provided the variant anatomy is being recognised on preoperative CT and a meticulous surgical technique is used.
