Posterior Superior Pancreaticoduodenal Artery, Posterior View

Description

Posterior to the head of the pancreas, the posterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery tracks in the retropancreatic groove toward the descending (second) part of the duodenum, where its branches course close to the wall of the duodenum and the pancreatic parenchyma. Proximally it arises from the gastroduodenal artery and descends inferiorly to meet the posterior inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery, forming the posterior pancreaticoduodenal arcade. The spleen lies lateral to the pancreatic tail, while the C loop of the duodenum wraps around the pancreatic head on the right, placing these vessels in a tight, clinically unforgiving space. Posterior views of this vessel matter because the posterior arcade sits directly in the operative field during a pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure) and during mobilization of the duodenum (Kocher maneuver), where retropancreatic bleeding can be brisk and difficult to control. This arterial loop also forms a key collateral pathway between the celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery territories, so celiac axis stenosis can drive increased flow through the pancreaticoduodenal arteries and predispose to true aneurysm formation, a recognized cause of life-threatening upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Small vessel, high stakes. Use this artwork for teaching foregut and midgut vascular anastomoses in gross anatomy, surgical anatomy, or hepatopancreatobiliary modules, and for illustrating operative reports, device training, or journal figures discussing pancreaticoduodenal arcade aneurysms, celiac compression, or post-Whipple hemorrhage control. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.