Preoperative assessment of vascular anatomy of inferior mesenteric artery by volume-rendered 3D-CT for laparoscopic lymph node dissection with left colic artery preservation in lower sigmoid and rectal cancer

AIM:To determine the distance between the branch- ing point of the left colic artery(LCA)and the inferior mesenteric artery(IMA)by computed tomography(CT) scanning,for preoperative evaluation before laparoscopic colorectal operation. METHODS:From February 2004 to May 2005,100 patients(63 men,37 women)underwent angiography performed with a 16-scanner multi-detector row CT unit (Toshiba,Aquilion 16).All images were analyzed on a workstation (AZE Ltd,Virtual Place Advance 300).The distance from the root of the IMA to the bifurcation of the LCA was measured by curved multi-planar recon- struction on a workstation. RESULTS:The IMA could be visualized in all the cases, but the LCA was missing in two patients.The mean dis- tance from the root of the IMA to the root of the LCA was 42.0 mm(range,23.2-75.0 mm).There were no differences in gender,arterial branching types,body weight,height,and body mass index. CONCLUSION:Volume-rendered 3D-CT is helpful to assess the vascular branching anatomy for laparoscopic surgery.