23. Ulusal Anatomi Kongresi, Ankara, Türkiye, 11 Ekim 2023, cilt.54, sa.2, ss.29
Objective: The lungs have a pair of vascular supplies, including the pulmonal artery, which carries lowpressure,
oxygen-free blood, and the bronchial artery (BA), responsible for carrying high-pressure,
oxygenated blood. Our study aimed to evaluate the normal anatomy and variations of the ABs in a group
of patients undergoing computed tomographic (CT) angiography of the thoracic aorta.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed CT angiography images of the thoracic aorta captured between
2021 and 2022. These images were retrieved from the hospital PACS system (Sectra Workstation IDS7;
Sectra AB, Linköping, SWEDEN). Any images with motion artifacts, those that couldn’t be assessed, and
patients under 18 years of age were excluded from the study.
Results: The total number of BAs of 344 patients in our study group was 859, of which 446 (52%) were
right BAs and 413 (48%) were left BAs. When the total number of BAs was analyzed on a case basis, it was
seen that 16 (4.7%) patients had 1 BA, 141 (41%) patients had 2 BAs, 130 (37.8%) patients had 3 BAs, and
45 (13%) patients had 4 BA branches. When the thoracic aorta and intercostal-bronchial common trunk
(TICBA) were evaluated together, the most common combination was 1 right and 1 left bronchial artery
branch and no branch from the TICBA was observed.
Conclusion: Multidetector CT offers interventionalists a comprehensive vascular access map before
procedures. Understanding the variations in the BA is of great clinical