Surgical anatomy of the gastroduodenal artery.

Specific anatomic structures assume importance with breakthroughs in therapy, research and environmental accentuation of disease. The gastroduodenal artery is such.a structure. This vessel due to its location, is a prime target of benign ulceration of the duodenum. Control of hemorrhage from erosion demands a spatial knowledge not obtainable from routine dissections of cadavers. Changes after death alter the anatomic relationships of the gastroduodenal artery. The difference between living and cadaver anatomy is not generally appreciated. The anatomic relationship of the gastroduodenal artery were studied in 100 necropsies. Representative roentgenograms complemented the dissections. Areas of interest were: (1) separation of the artery from the common bile -duct by the pancreas from the superior border of the pancreas to the hepatopancreatic ampulla, (2) the distance from the pylorus to the gastroduodenal artery and (3) the pattern of distribution of the artery and its branches to the pancreas.