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 inferiormesenteric artery(IMA)by computed tomography(CT)scanning,for preoperative evaluation before laparoscopiccolorectal operation.METHODS:From February 2004 to May 2005,100patients(63 men,37 women)underwent angiographyperformed with a 16-scanner multi-detector row CT unit(Toshiba,Aquilion 16).All images were analyzed on aworkstation (AZE Ltd,Virtual Place Advance 300).Thedistance from the root of the IMA to the bifurcation ofthe 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 LCAwas 42.0 mm(range,23.2-75.0 mm).There were nodifferences in gender,arterial branching types,bodyweight,height,and body mass index.CONCLUSION:Volume-rendered 3D-CT is helpful toassess the vascular branching anatomy for laparoscopicsurgery.