Early gastric cancer with an Adachi type VI (group 26) vascular anomaly diagnosed preoperatively and treated by laparoscopic surgery: a case report

BACKGROUND: It is important to understand the branching pattern of the celiac artery for a safe surgery. Various branching anomalies of the celiac artery were classified by Adachi in 1928. In Adachi’s classification, type VI (group 26) is a rare anatomical anomaly (0.4%) that requires care when carrying out a surgery in gastric cancer patients with this anomaly. Herein, we reported a case treated successfully with laparoscopic distal gastrectomy with D1+ lymph node dissection for early gastric cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: An 84-year-old female was referred to our division for an additional surgical treatment for early gastric cancer that was resected by endoscopic submucosal dissection. A three-dimensional computed tomography angiography revealed an angioplany of the common hepatic artery branching from the left gastric artery. According to Adachi’s classification, the anomaly of this patient corresponded to type VI (group 26). Preoperative anatomical information of this rare anomaly helped us to safely perform a laparoscopic distal gastrectomy and lymph node dissection with common hepatic artery preservation. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged on postoperative day 11. CONCLUSIONS: We consider that Group 26 anomalies require the most precise anatomical understanding among Adachi classification type VIs, since it affects hepatic blood flow and can cause serious complications. In this time, we reported a successful case to perform laparoscopic distal gastrectomy with safety and accuracy by preoperative understanding of the precise vascular anatomy.