Speaker Credentials
MDII
Speaker Credentials
BS
College
College of Allopathic Medicine
Medical Specialty
Gastroenterology
Format
Poster
Start Date
November 2024
End Date
November 2024
Track
2
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to challenge the assumption that the marginal artery (MA) of Drummond is fully continuous. BACKGROUND: The MA is a crucial arterial anastomosis that runs along the inner margin of the colon. Despite its importance, the continuity of the MA has been insufficiently evaluated in the literature. METHODS: We dissected the mesentery in 18 cadavers to explore the formation and identify any areas of discontinuity in the MA. RESULTS: Varying degrees of MA discontinuity was observed among individuals. Complete continuity of the MA was observed in only one case. In one specimen, the MA was completely absent, with the entire length of the colon being directly supplied by terminal branches from the colic arteries. On average, each individual exhibited 3-4 discontinuities in the MA, most commonly at the splenic and hepatic flexures, followed by the ascending colon. In areas where the MA exhibited discontinuities, the preterminal branches of the colic arteries were tethered, giving rise to long vasa recta with an acute angle of origin, in contrast to the right-angled short vasa recta arising from a continuous MA. CONCLUSION: Contrary to common depictions in the literature, a complete and continuous MA is a rare and unusual manifestation of colonic arterial supply. Typically, discontinuities in the MA result from V-termination or “tethering” of preterminal branches of the colic arteries. Areas with severe arterial tethering may be more prone to colonic ischemia due to the unstable blood flow in regions supplied by right-angled long vasa recta. GRANTS: None.
Included in
Revisiting the Marginal Artery of Drummond: A New Insight into the Anatomy of Colonic Arterial Supply
OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to challenge the assumption that the marginal artery (MA) of Drummond is fully continuous. BACKGROUND: The MA is a crucial arterial anastomosis that runs along the inner margin of the colon. Despite its importance, the continuity of the MA has been insufficiently evaluated in the literature. METHODS: We dissected the mesentery in 18 cadavers to explore the formation and identify any areas of discontinuity in the MA. RESULTS: Varying degrees of MA discontinuity was observed among individuals. Complete continuity of the MA was observed in only one case. In one specimen, the MA was completely absent, with the entire length of the colon being directly supplied by terminal branches from the colic arteries. On average, each individual exhibited 3-4 discontinuities in the MA, most commonly at the splenic and hepatic flexures, followed by the ascending colon. In areas where the MA exhibited discontinuities, the preterminal branches of the colic arteries were tethered, giving rise to long vasa recta with an acute angle of origin, in contrast to the right-angled short vasa recta arising from a continuous MA. CONCLUSION: Contrary to common depictions in the literature, a complete and continuous MA is a rare and unusual manifestation of colonic arterial supply. Typically, discontinuities in the MA result from V-termination or “tethering” of preterminal branches of the colic arteries. Areas with severe arterial tethering may be more prone to colonic ischemia due to the unstable blood flow in regions supplied by right-angled long vasa recta. GRANTS: None.