Morphometric Study of the Segmental Branches of the Splenic Artery in Human Cadaver Spleens by Dissection Method
Keywords:
N\AAbstract
Introduction: The spleen, an essential organ of the lymphatic and immune systems, is highly vascularized and performs vital functions, including filtering blood, recycling iron, and managing immune responses.
Objective: To analyze the morphometric characteristics, branching patterns, and anatomical variations of the segmental branches of the splenic artery in human cadaver spleens through dissection.
Methodology: This descriptive observational study was conducted at the department of Anatomy, Gomal Medical College, Dera Ismail Khan during May 2024 to April 2025. Data were collected from 55 human cadaver spleens. Cadaver spleens were collected from a medical anatomy lab, ensuring they were preserved in 10% formalin to maintain structural integrity. Inclusion criteria required cadavers to be free of any apparent pathological conditions, traumatic injuries, or vascular anomalies that could interfere with the dissection process.
Results: Data were collected from 55 human cadaver spleens. Splenic artery most commonly divided into three primary segmental branches, observed in 58% (n=32) of the cadavers. Two branches were identified in 30% (n=17) of the cases, while four branches were seen in 12% (n=6). The mean diameter of the branches was 2.6 ± 0.5 mm, and the mean length was 42 ± 8 mm. The superior branches supplied 45 ± 3% of the splenic parenchyma, while the inferior branches accounted for 40 ± 4%. Anatomical variations were present in 18% of the cadavers, including accessory arteries (12%) and unusual origins of branches (6%).
Conclusion: It is concluded that the segmental branches of the splenic artery exhibit considerable variability in their branching patterns, dimensions, and anatomical configurations. The most common pattern observed was three primary segmental branches, supplying distinct vascular territories with minimal overlap.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Shwetha. K, Dakshayani. K.R. Morphometric study of the segmental branches of the splenic artery in human cadaver spleens by dissection method. Int J Anat Res 2021;9(2.2):7965 7969. DOI: 10.16965/ijar.2021.103
Standring S. Gray’s Anatomy. The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. 39th ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2008. p. 1239-45.
Kyber E. Uber die Milz des Menschen and einigersangetiere. Arch Microsk Anat EntwMech. 1870;6:540-70.
Katritsis E, Parashos A, Papadopoulos N. Arterial segmentation of the human spleen by doing a postmortem angiogram and making corrosion casts. Angiology. 1982;33(11):720-7.
Gupta CD, Gupta SC, Arora AK, Jeya SP. Vascular segments in human spleen. J Anat. 1976;121(3):613-6.
Mikhail Y, Kamel R, Nawar NNY, Rafla MFM. Observations on the mode of termination and parenchymal distribution of the splenic artery with evidence of splenic lobation and segmentation. J Anat. 1979;128(2):253-8.
Mandarim LCA, Sampaio FJ, Passos MA. Vascular segmentation of the spleen in newborn infants. Anatomical support for partial resection. J Chir (Paris). 1983;120(8-9):471-3.
Garcia PJA, Lemes A. Arterial segmentation and subsegmentation in human spleen. Acta Anat (Basel). 1988;131(4):276-83.
Sow ML, Dia A, Ouedraogo T. Anatomic basis for conservative surgery of the spleen. Surg Radiol Anat. 1991;13(2):81-7.
Silva LFA. Morfometric study of arterial branching of the spleen compared to radiological study. Rev Col Bras Cir. 2011;38(3):181-5.
Chaware PN, Belsare SM, Kulkarni YR, Pandit SV, Ughade JM. Variational anatomy of the segmental branches of the splenic artery. J Clin Diagn Res. 2012;6(3):336-8.
Swamy VL, Suseelamma D, Surekha DJ, Chaitanya K. Study of prehilar branches of splenic artery by dissection method. Int J Med Res Health Sci. 2013;2(3):620-3.
Londhe SR. Study of vascular pattern in human spleen by carrion cast method. Al Ameen J Med Sci. 2013;6(2):167-9.
Ignjatovic D, Stimec B, Zivanovic V. The basis for splenic segmental dearterialization: a post-mortem study. Surg Radiol Anat. 2005;27(1):15-8.
Machalek L, Holibkova A, Tuma J, Houserkova D. The size of the splenic hilus, diameter of the splenic artery, and its branches in the human spleen. Biomed Papers. 1998;141(1):45-8.
Fomin D, Chmieliauskas S, Petrauskas V, Sumkovskaja A, Ginciene K, Laima S, et al. Traumatic spleen rupture diagnosed during postmortem dissection: a STROBE-compliant retrospective study. Medicine. 2019 Oct;98(40). doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000017363.
Elamin RA. Measurement of splenic volume in adult Sudanese population using computed tomography [Doctoral dissertation]. Sudan University of Science and Technology.
Bardol T, Subsol G, Perez MJ, Geneviève D, Lamouroux A, Antoine B, et al. Three-dimensional computer-assisted dissection of pancreatic lymphatic anatomy on human fetuses: a step toward automatic image alignment. Surg Radiol Anat. 2018 May;40(5):587-97. doi: 10.1007/s00276-018-2008-2.
De Oliveira GB, Camara FV, Bezerra FV, De Araujo Junior HN, De Oliveira RE, Da Silva Costa H, et al. Morphology and anatomic-surgical segmentation of the spleen of Pecari tajacu Linnaeus, 1758. Biosci J. 2018 Sep 1;34(5):1339-48. doi: 10.14393/BJ-v34n5a2018-36415.
Gutsol AA, Blanco P, Samokhina SI, Afanasiev SA, Kennedy CR, Popov SV, et al. A novel method for comparison of arterial remodeling in hypertension: quantication of arterial trees and recognition of remodeling patterns on histological sections. PloS one.2019May21;14(5):e0216734.doi.org/10.1371/ journal.pone.0216734
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
