Original Scientific Article
Anatomical variations of the anterior branches of the abdominal aorta in humans-possible similarities with other mammals
Anamarija Paunkoska * ,
Biljana Zafirova ,
Ace Dodevski ,
Jovana Kordoska ,
Sonja Nikolova ,
Vjolca Aliji ,
Julija Zhivadinovikj ,
Lazo Pendovski

Mac Vet Rev 2026; 49 (2): i - xi

10.2478/macvetrev-2026-0020

Received: 12 March 2026

Received in revised form: 28 April 2026

Accepted: 23 June 2026

Available Online First: 21 August 2026

Published on: 15 October 2026

Correspondence: Anamarija Paunkoska, anamarija@medf.ukim.edu.mk
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Abstract

Anatomical variations of the celiac trunk (CT), superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) have significant clinical relevance, particularly in abdominal surgery and interventional radiology. In this study, a cross sectional analysis was performed on 60 contrast-enhanced CT angiography scans of the abdominal aorta in adult patients.  The evaluation included the vertebral level of origin, branching patterns, and arterial diameters of the CT, SMA, and IMA, with variations classified according to established anatomical classifications and analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. The results demonstrated that typical branching anatomy was present in 95% of cases, while anatomical variations were identified in 5% of patients. The celiac trunk most commonly originated at the level of the T12–L1 intervertebral disc (91.70%). The classical trifurcation (Uflacker Type I) was observed in 95% of cases. The SMA showed an independent origin in 98.33% of patients, whereas the IMA originated independently in all examined cases. The mean arterial diameters were 6.94±1.18 mm for the CT, 6.56±1.11 mm for the SMA, and 2.73±0.52 mm for the IMA. Although classical vascular anatomy predominates, the presence of clinically relevant variations highlights the importance of their preoperative identification. High-resolution 128-slice MDCT angiography proves to be a reliable modality for accurate vascular mapping and effective surgical planning.

Keywords: abdominal aorta, celiac trunk, human, multidetector CT angiography, anatomical variations

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Copyright  

©2026 Paunkoska A. This is an open-access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declared that they have no financial or non-financial conflict of interest regarding authorship and publication of this article.

Citation Information

Macedonian Veterinary Review. Volume 49, Issue 2, Pages i-xi, e-ISSN 1857-7415, p-ISSN 1409-7621, DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2478/macvetrev-2026-0020

The all content of the Macedonian Veterinary Review, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.