Positional anatomy of deep epigastric arteries

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The deep epigastric arteries are commonly injured during entry through abdominal wall in various invasive procedures. The commonly practiced methods to locate these vessels are less effective in dark skinned and obese patients. The location of these vessels determined by previous studies differs significantly. OBJECTIVE: To study the location of deep epigastric arteries over abdominal wall and its correlation with the age, sex, weight, height and BMI of the patients. DESIGN: Descriptive. METHOD: Abdominal and pelvic CT scan images with intravenous contrast of 100 patients were analyzed. The distance of deep epigastric arteries from mid sagittal plane was calculated at five levels over abdomen and was correlated with age, sex, weight, height & BMI of the patients. RESULTS: The epigastric arteries (superior & inferior) were located in the area from 1 to 8 cm of the midline of abdomen. The location of epigastric arteries showed strong positive correlation with weight & BMI of the patients. CONCLUSION: This data can be used to avoid deep epigastric arteries from the damage during abdominal wall entry in various invasive procedures.