The superior pancreaticoduodenal artery is an artery that supplies blood to the duodenum and pancreas. It is a branch of the gastroduodenal artery, which most commonly arises from the common hepatic artery of the celiac trunk (there are numerous variations of the origin of the gastroduodenal artery ). The common hepatic itself becomes the proper hepatic after giving off the gastroduodenal artery and goes on to supply the right and left lobes of the liver.
The term superior distinguishes the superior pancreaticoduodenal artery from the inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery, which is a branch of the superior mesenteric artery. These arteries, together with the pancreatic branches of the splenic artery, form connections or anastomoses with one another, allowing blood to perfuse the pancreas and duodenum through multiple channels.
The artery splits into two branches:
- the anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery supplies the anterior margins of the duodenum and pancreas
- the posterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery supplies the posterior margins of these organs
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)