[Anatomy of the splenic artery].

Due to the importance and permanent improvements as regards the treatment of different diseases involving abdominal organs such as the abdomen, pancreas and spleen. I was indined to investigate, both from the anatomic and surgical point of view, one of the collateral arterial branches of the celiac trunk, which is possibly considered to be one the least studied and, historically one of the most forgotten by the vessels irrigating the liver and stomach. Considering the fact that anatomic understanding is the starting point of medical knowledge, and that its conquests give it permanently new fundaments, I was determined to do research, intensely and thoroughly on splenic artery. This research work relates in detail, on the corresponding chapters, the material and methods used, which consist on human bodies and foetus fixed with formol and in a fresh condition. These human bodies and foetus were submitted to dissection techniques of inter-arterial injection with resin, and then they were corroded with acid and angiographic studies. Finally selective arteriographic tests were performed on living beings by means of digitalis removal of the splenic artery. The following chapter deals with the results obtained from saied research work, showing that the splenic artery originates, in all cases, from the celiac trunk, and this artery is the most important with an average length of 10.6 centimeters and of 2.3 flexuosities in all. This chapter also enumerates the relationships existing between the splenic artery and neighboring organs, the homonymous vein, its collateral and terminal branches which in the hundred percent of cases showed one superior and one inferior, to immediately subdivide in different ones at the level of the splenic pedide. The collateral branches found were the following: arterial pancreatic branches found in the 73% of the cases with an average of 1.8 arteries in all. posterior esophaguscardiotuberosity artery appearing in a 33% of the cases. superior polar artery appearing in a 53% of the cases. inferior polar artery appearing in a 33% of the cases. the short vessels appeared in the 100% of the cases, from which in a 73% were superior short vessels and in the remaining 27% inferior short vessels. the left gastroepiploon artery appeared in all the cases considered. I have discussed the anatomic importance of the splenic artery and gland with their multiple variations and relationships. I have also considered the splenic pedicle, depending on the rear fixation which has the extremity of the pancreas and the splenic hillum of 2.2 centimeters, with final figures ranging from 0 to 4 centimeters. I have also mentioned the appearance of a 10% of super numerary spleens. Finally in our experience with splenic segmentation and with corrosion pharmaceutical preparation and arteriographic studies as the basic ingredients, we have found that in a 62.5% they have two segments, in a 17% they have three segments, in a 12.5% they have four segments, in a 12.5% they have four segments and in an 8% they have five segments in all, in these cases generally due to the high importance of the polar arteries. Likewise, it is a truth universally accepted that splenic circulation is terminal and that spleen division into segments is separated by non-vascular levels.