Assessing anatomical variations of the superior mesenteric artery via three-dimensional CT angiography and laparoscopic right hemicolectomy: a retrospective observational study

Objective: This study aimed to analyse the anatomical relationships and differences between the superior mesenteric vessels and their branches by reviewing a laparoscopic right hemicolectomy surgery video and comparing it with preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) angiography and to verify the accuracy of 3D-CT vascular reconstruction techniques. Methods: Surgical videos and preoperative imaging data of 52 patients undergoing laparoscopic right hemicolectomy were analysed to observe and summarize the probability of occurrence and adjacency of superior mesenteric vascular branches, and the lengths of specific sites of their branches were measured using the above two methods. Results: Preoperative CT images and surgical video showed that the ileocolic artery (ICA) was present in 98.1% (51/52) and the ileocolic vein (ICV) was present in 100% (52/52), and ICA was present in 13.7% (7/51) of the ICV directly anteriorly, 13.7% (7/51) anteriorly superiorly, 3.9% (2/51) anteriorly inferiorly, 11.8% (6/51) directly posteriorly, 37.2% (19/51) post superiorly, and 19.7% (10/51) posteriorly inferiorly. In the surgical video, the probability of presence of the right colic artery (RCA) was 21.2% (11/52). On CT images, the RCA was present in 10 patients. The length of the origin of the middle colic artery (MCA) from its bifurcations was 2.33 +/- 0.87 cm measured intraoperatively using a sterile isometric filament, and the length measured using 3D-CT vascular reconstruction was 2.36 +/- 0.91 cm; the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.348). The length of the MCA and ICA initiation points was 3.22 +/- 0.75 cm measured intraoperatively using sterile isometric filaments and 3.36 +/- 0.72 cm measured using 3D-CT vascular reconstruction, which was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). Conclusions: 3D-CT vascular reconstruction can accurately predict the vessels related to right hemicolectomy in most cases. It is an important method for preoperative prediction of superior mesenteric vessels, which can guide surgeons in the intraoperative vessel identification.