PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Thomas Mombo Amuti
AU  - Ibsen Henric Ongidi
AU  - Innocent Peter Ouko
AU  - Dennis Nick
AU  - Joseph Mageto
AU  - Laura Ocholla
AU  - Beda Olabu
AU  - Julius Alexander Ogeng'o
TI  - Anatomical Variations in the Origin of the Lumbar Artery: A Cadaveric Study Augmented by CT Findings
AID  - 10.14444/8118
DP  - 2021 Oct 01
TA  - International Journal of Spine Surgery
PG  - 906--914
VI  - 15
IP  - 5
4099  - http://ijssurgery.com//content/15/5/906.short
4100  - http://ijssurgery.com//content/15/5/906.full
SO  - Int J Spine Surg2021 Oct 01; 15
AB  - Background: Anatomical variations of lumbar arteries predispose them to iatrogenic injury during endovascular intervention or surgery. Due to limited morphological data on lumbar arteries in our setting, we aimed to determine their variant anatomy among Kenyans.Methods: We performed the study on 90 cadaveric specimens and 120 computed tomography (CT) scans. Cadavers were dissected to expose the aorta and the lumbar arteries emerging from them. The number, origins, location relative to the vertebral bodies, and relations to aortic bifurcation were determined in cadavers and CT scans. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 21.0).Results: On average, 3 (3/90 [3.3%]), 4 (63/90 [70%]) or 5 (24/90 [26.7%]) pairs of lumbar arteries were observed among the cadaveric specimens, whereas 4 (100/120 [83.3%]) or 5 (20/120 [16.7%]) pairs were observed in CTs. Differences in the number of pairs observed in the cadaveric versus CT study were not statistically significant (P = .542). There were no sex differences in the number of lumbar artery pairs observed in CT scans (P = .178). The first 3 lumbar artery pairs had a single-origin, whereas the fourth lumbar artery had a common-stem origin. The first, second, and third lumbar arteries mostly originated at the upper third of their respective vertebral bodies. The fourth lumbar artery predominantly originated at the lower third.Conclusion: Our study's findings show unique variation in the lumbar arteries' relation to the vertebral bodies and the distances between artery pairs.Level of Evidence: IV (cross-sectional study).Clinical Relevance: Variations in the anatomy of the lumbar arteries should be taken into consideration, especially in surgical or interventional procedures to avoid inadvertent injury of the vessels.