Dorsal pancreatic artery

The pancreatoduodenal arcade provides an extensive collateral vascular network to the head of the pancreas, uncinate process, and duodenal bulb with a complex anatomical disposition and anastomotic channels with named arteries such as the dorsal pancreatic artery, the supraduodenal artery, and the retroduodenal artery [8-13]. 

The dorsal pancreatic artery is the first major pancreatic branch, usually coming off the splenic artery, although many variations have been described (right hepatic artery, SMA, and celiac artery) [15]. After supplying the dorsal surface of the neck of the pancreas, it divides into a left branch, the transverse pancreatic, and into a right branch (branches), which unites with the gastroduodenal or the superior pancreatoduodenal [14]. 

The transverse pancreatic artery is one of the major arteries of the pancreas and generally the major left branch of the dorsal pancreatic. It courses along the inferior surface of the pancreas to unite with the a. pancreatica magna (branch of the splenic artery) [14]. 

Bertelli E, Di Gregorio F, Mosca S, Bastianini A (1998) The arterial blood supply of the pancreas a review. V. The dorsal pancreatic artery. An anatomic review and a radiologic study. Surg Radiol Anat 20 445-452... 

Hong KC, Ereeny PC (1999) Pancreatioduodenal arcades and dorsal pancreatic artery comparison of CT angiography with three-dimensional volume rendering, maximum intensity projection and shaded-surface display. AJR AM J Roentgenol 211 337-343... 

Proximal Embolization In the absence of active contrast extravasation, the splenic artery is proximally embolized. We typically utilize either a 5F Cobra catheter or a 5F Omni-2 catheter to catheterize the celiac axis. Depending on the tortuosity of the vessel, we then either use the Cobra catheter or a microcatheter with a 0.021 inner luminal diameter for more selective catheterization. Once the catheter is in place, just distal to the dorsal pancreatic artery, coils are deposited. The size of the coils chosen depends on the size of the vessel. 

Similar to complete splenic arterial embolization, PSE is prone to complications and adverse effects, but PSE is much better tolerated than complete splenic ablation. In addition to those mentioned above, patients might develop pancreatitis (likely a result of nontarget embolization of dorsal pancreatic and pancreatic magna arteries), pleural effusions requiring thoracentesis, paralytic ileus, or the post-embolization syndrome consisting of fever, leukocytosis, and abdominal pain [119]. 

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