The common hepatic artery is a branch of the coeliac trunk and origin of the gastroduodenal artery and the hepatic propria artery. Its function is thus to supply the greater and lesser curvature of the stomach, great reticulum, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder.
What is the common hepatic artery?
One of the blood vessels in the abdomen, the common hepatic artery or arteria hepatica communis supplies blood to various organs in the abdomen. The artery is part of the systemic circulation and carries oxygen from the lungs to the curvature of the stomach, the great mesh (omentum majus), the pancreas (pancreas), liver, and gallbladder (vesica biliaris or vesica fellea). The common hepatic artery arises from the coeliac trunk. It is also known as Haller’s tripod or tripus Halleri and owes these names to the physiologist Albrecht von Haller. In addition to the common hepatic artery, the coeliac trunk has two other branches that supply blood to other anatomic structures in the abdomen as the splenic artery and the gastric sinistra artery.
Anatomy and structure
The common hepatic artery runs through the abdominal cavity and branches off from the coeliac trunk. It passes through the duodenum and passes through the hepatoduodenal ligament, which bounds the foramen omentale. The remaining branch corresponds to the hepatica propria artery; before this, the gastroduodenal artery branches off from the hepatica communis artery. In some individuals, the common hepatic artery has a third branch in the form of the gastric dextra artery. This peculiarity is not a disease, but a variation that affects about one third of all people. In the majority of cases, however, the gastrica dextra artery branches off from the hepatic propria artery. Three layers form the wall of the common hepatic artery. The tunica externa forms the outermost layer, demarcates the artery from the surrounding tissue, and contains the vasa vasorum. The tunica media forms the middle layer of the arterial wall. It is made up of muscles that extend in a ring around the vein and influence blood flow by contraction and relaxation. In addition, the tunica media has elastic fibers as well as collagen fibers that provide flexibility and cohesion to the tissue. Beneath the tunica media is the tunica intima, which forms the innermost layer of an artery and is also found in the common hepatic artery. Adjacent to the tunica media is the membrana elastica interna of the tunica interna, which is followed by the stratum subendotheliale and the connective tissue layer. These provide support for the endothelium, in which a single layer of cells demarcates the common hepatic artery from the blood that flows through it.
Function and Tasks
The central function of the common hepatic artery is to supply organs in the abdomen with oxygenated blood. One of its branches is the gastroduodenal artery. This transports blood to the pancreas, which is of great importance for digestion and metabolism. Cells of the pancreas produce digestive enzymes that break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats. In addition, pancreatic cells synthesize the hormones insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, ghrelin, and pancreatic polypeptide. Blood from the gastroduodenal artery also flows to the duodenum, which is 30 cm long and belongs to the small intestine. In the digestive process, its role is to enrich the food pulp with enzymes from the pancreas and duodenal glands and to neutralize the acidic pH. The gastroduodenal artery also supplies the large reticulum (omentum majus), which is essential for defense against pathogens, and the large curvature of the stomach. In contrast, the small curvature receives oxygenated blood from the hepatic propria artery, which is the other branch of the common hepatic artery. The hepatic propria artery also supplies blood to the liver and gallbladder. The liver is involved in detoxification, stores glycogen as an energy reserve, produces ketone bodies, controls the metabolism of vitamins and trace elements, synthesizes blood proteins such as coagulation factors, albumin, globulins, and acute phase proteins, and participates in digestion by producing bile. The gallbladder stores 30 to 80 ml of the fluid and releases it into the digestive tract when needed.
Diseases
As an artery, the common hepatic artery can be affected by several diseases that are typical of all blood vessels. One of these is arteriosclerosis. This is a narrowing of the artery caused by deposits in the cavity. Often fat, connective tissue, calcium or deposited calcium salts or thrombi are responsible for this. As a result, blood flow deteriorates and the vessel may even close completely. Dunbar’s syndrome does not affect the hepatic artery directly, but the coeliac trunk from which it originates. Dunbar syndrome is a clinical picture also known as Harjola-Marable syndrome. It is characterized by compression of the coeliac trunk. Common complaints include lack of appetite, vomiting, nausea, and upper abdominal pain. Type A of Dunbar syndrome manifests without symptoms, whereas type B typically involves abdominal discomfort. Type C, in contrast, is characterized by angina abdominalis, which is absent in type B. Medicine divides it into four stages according to severity, with stage IV characterized by permanent pain and potentially leading to death. In addition to the truncus coeliacus, nerves located in the same area may also be affected by compression, leading to corresponding loss of function. As a result, further digestive symptoms and pain are possible.
