The inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery (the IPDA) is a branch of the

superior mesenteric artery In human anatomy, the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is an artery which arises from the anterior surface of the abdominal aorta, just inferior to the origin of the celiac trunk, and supplies blood to the intestine from the lower part of the ...

. It supplies the head of the

pancreas The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine gland, i.e. it has both an end ...

, and the ascending and inferior parts of the

duodenum The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear, and the terms anterior intestine or proximal intestine m ...

. Rarely, it may have an

aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...

Structure

The inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery is a branch of the

. This occurs opposite the upper border of the inferior part of the

. As soon as it branches, it divides into

anterior and posterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...

branches. These run between the head of the

and the lesser curvature of the duodenum. They then join (

anastomose An anastomosis (, plural anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection may be normal ...

) with the anterior and posterior branches of the

superior pancreaticoduodenal artery The superior pancreaticoduodenal artery is an artery that supplies blood to the duodenum and pancreas. Structure It is a branch of the gastroduodenal artery, which most commonly arises from the common hepatic artery of the celiac trunk, althou ...

Variation

The inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery may branch from the first intestinal branch of the

rather than directly from it.

Function

The inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery distributes branches to the head of the

and to the ascending and inferior parts of the

Clinical significance

Aneurysm

Very rarely, the inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery may have an

. It may be caused by certain medical interventions,

major trauma Major trauma is any injury that has the potential to cause prolonged disability or death. There are many causes of major trauma, blunt and penetrating, including falls, motor vehicle collisions, stabbing wounds, and gunshot wounds. Dependin ...

pancreatitis Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormones. There are two main types: acute pancreatitis, and chronic pancr ...

cholecystitis Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder. Symptoms include right upper abdominal pain, pain in the right shoulder, nausea, vomiting, and occasionally fever. Often gallbladder attacks (biliary colic) precede acute cholecystitis. The pain l ...

, and

vasculitis Vasculitis is a group of disorders that destroy blood vessels by inflammation. Both arteries and veins are affected. Lymphangitis (inflammation of lymphatic vessels) is sometimes considered a type of vasculitis. Vasculitis is primarily caused b ...

and other

infections An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmiss ...

. A ruptured aneurysm causes

abdominal pain Abdominal pain, also known as a stomach ache, is a symptom Signs and symptoms are the observed or detectable signs, and experienced symptoms of an illness, injury, or condition. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature than ...

, and

haemorrhage Bleeding, hemorrhage, haemorrhage or blood loss, is blood escaping from the circulatory system from damaged blood vessels. Bleeding can occur internally, or externally either through a natural opening such as the mouth, nose, ear, urethra, vagi ...

leads to

hypotension Hypotension is low blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. Blood pressure is indicated by two numbers, the systolic blood pressure (the top number) and the dias ...

. It may be treated with open abdominal surgery. It may also be treated with

endovascular surgery Vascular surgery is a surgical subspecialty in which diseases of the vascular system, or arteries, veins and lymphatic circulation, are managed by medical therapy, minimally-invasive catheter procedures and surgical reconstruction. The specialty ...

, such as a coil. These aneurysms represent around 2% of aneurysms in visceral arteries of the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

Pseudoaneurysm A pseudoaneurysm, also known as a false aneurysm, is a locally contained hematoma outside an artery or heart due to damage to the vessel wall. The injury goes through all the three layers of the arterial wall causing a leak, which is contained b ...

may also occur.

History

The inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery may be more simply known by the

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

IPDA.

Additional images

File:Grant 1962 159.png, Anatomical dissection showing the origin of the two inferior pancreaticoduodenal arteries

References

External links

* Arteries of the abdomen {{circulatory-stub