The ileocolic vein passing through the ring-shaped part of ileocolic artery

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this case report is to report vascular variations in the abdomen because of its clinical importance for the surgeries like acute abdominal emergencies and symptomatic aneurysms. Here, we report an extremely rare case with an ileocolic vein passing through the annulus of the ileocolic artery. Methods During the routine dissection, we found an ileocolic vein perforating through a ring-shaped ileocolic artery. Results A ring-shaped ileocolic artery was originating from the superior mesenteric artery as a single branch. After forming the circle, it maintained the regular branching patterns. The ileocolic vein was drained from the ascending colon, cecum, appendix and the distal part of the ileum and passed the center of the ring-shaped part of the ileocolic artery from posterior to anterior. Other structures of the abdomen were normal. Conclusions We reported this rare variation and suggest that the clinicians should be aware of this variation for succeeding surgery and making a good diagnosis for the patients.