Prevalence of coeliac trunk variants: A systematic review with meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

The coeliac trunk (CoT) is an important branch of the abdominal aorta, that typically gives off the left gastric artery (LGA), the splenic artery (SA) and the common hepatic artery (CHA). Variations of the CoT are of great importance in clinical practice. The aim of the current systematic review with meta-analysis is to investigate the prevalence of these variants.

MATERIAL

A systematic review was performed in four online databases to identify studies referring to CoT variants prevalence. A meta-analysis was conducted by using the R programming software to calculate the pooled prevalence of the variants, and to detect possible parameters affecting them by using subgroup analysis.

RESULTS

The typical anatomy was considered the CoT with three branches (type 3) with a pooled prevalence of 83.39 %. The most common variation was the CoT with two branches (type 2) identified in 10.53 %. Rarest types were considered the CoT with four branches (type 4-1.80 %) and the CoT absence (type 1-0.43 %). A statistically significant difference according to the type of study (imaging or cadaveric) was identified for CoT type 1 and type 4. Overall, the most common variation was the hepato-splenic trunk calculated with a pooled prevalence of 6.68 %.

CONCLUSIONS

The current systematic review with meta-analysis investigated the CoT variants and proposed a classification system based on the number of branches emanating from the trunk. Knowledge of these variations is of paramount importance for anatomists, radiologists and surgeons frequently operating the abdominal organs.