The common hepatic artery arising from the left gastric artery

We report three cases with a rare anatomic variation, in which the common hepatic artery (CHA) arose from the left gastric artery. Fewer than ten cases with this anatomic variation have been published in the literature consulted. In each patient, multidetector-row CT image with 3D reformation demonstrated that the hepatic artery arises from the left gastric artery and runs through the lesser omentum. The left, middle, and right hepatic arteries derived from this artery, and no other arterial supply to the liver was seen. The course of the gastroduodenal artery was variable; it derived from the CHA, the splenic artery, or both. No variation was noted in the splenic artery and the superior mesenteric artery.