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Simultaneous occurrence of an aberrant right subclavian artery and accessory lobe of the liver

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Abstract

We herein report a case showing the simultaneous occurrence of an aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) and accessory lobe of the liver in a 75-year-old female cadaver. In the thorax, the left aortic arch branched into the right common carotid artery, left common carotid artery, left subclavian artery, and ARSA, in that order. The ARSA was dilated at its origin to form Kommerell’s diverticulum and coursed behind the esophagus. This diverticulum seemed to press the esophagus. A right-sided thoracic duct was identified that emptied into the angulus venosus. In the right-sided neck, a nonrecurrent laryngeal nerve was found. In the abdominal cavity, an accessory lobe protruded from the anterior margin of the left liver lobe. The accessory lobe was separated from the left lobe by a transverse furrow on the anterior side. We discuss possible common causes of these anomalies during development.

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Author notes

  1. Toshiyuki Kaidoh

    Present address: Division of Genome Morphology, Department of Functional, Morphological and Regulatory Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, 683-8503, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Morphological Analysis, Department of Functional, Morphological and Regulatory Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, 683-8503, Japan

    Toshiyuki Kaidoh & Takao Inoué

Authors
  1. Toshiyuki Kaidoh
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  2. Takao Inoué
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Toshiyuki Kaidoh.

Electronic supplementary material

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12565_2010_100_MOESM1_ESM.ppt

Supplementary Figure 1. In the right-sided neck, a nonrecurrent laryngeal nerve (black arrowhead) is found branching from the vagus nerve (white arrowhead) at the level of the seventh cervical vertebra. RC, right common carotid artery; RS, right subclavian artery; TR, trachea (PPT 274 kb)

12565_2010_100_MOESM2_ESM.ppt

Supplementary Figure 2. Photograph and line drawing of structures in the chest and neck in the anterior view, including the aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA), nonrecurrent laryngeal nerve (arrow), and right-sided thoracic duct (TD). The proximal part of the aberrant right subclavian artery, nonrecurrent laryngeal nerve, and right-sided thoracic duct are hidden in the photograph, but shown based on the observation as dotted lines in the line drawing. In the posterior mediastinum the right-sided thoracic duct ascends between the descending thoracic aorta and the azygos vein, and lies posterior to the esophagus and anterior to the bodies of the thoracic vertebra. At the level of the fifth thoracic vertebral body, the thoracic duct moves to the right of the midline. Finally, it ascends to the thoracic inlet and ends by emptying into the junction of the right subclavian vein and right internal jugular vein. E, esophagus; H, heart with pericardium; LBV, left brachiocephalic vein; LCA, left common carotid artery; LJV, left internal jugular vein; LL, left lung; LSA, left subclavian artery; LSV, left subclavian vein; LVN, left vagus nerve; RCA, right common carotid artery; RJV, right internal jugular vein; RL, right lung; RSV, right subclavian vein; RVN, right vagus nerve; T, thyroid gland; TR, trachea. (PPT 1.61 mb)

12565_2010_100_MOESM3_ESM.ppt

Supplementary Figure 3. (a) Anterior view of the accessory lobe (AL). The accessory lobe measures 76 x 32 x 30 mm. The transverse furrow (black arrowhead) is 10 mm in depth. (b) Section of the left (L) and accessory lobes. The liver tissue is narrowed by the furrow but the accessory lobe is attached directly to the left lobe without fibrous connective tissue. Intrahepatic distributions of the portal triads (c) and hepatic veins (d). The portal triads distribute separately into the accessory lobe (white arrow) and inferior subsegment of the lateral segment (black arrow) from the lower branches of the lateral segment. Branches of the hepatic veins from these parts arise separately (white and black arrows) but are both drained into the left hepatic vein (HV). RL, round ligament of the liver. (PPT 673 kb)

Supplementary Text 1 (DOC 26.5 kb)

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Kaidoh, T., Inoué, T. Simultaneous occurrence of an aberrant right subclavian artery and accessory lobe of the liver. Anat Sci Int 86, 171–174 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-010-0100-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-010-0100-8

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