Branches of the celiac artery include which arteries?

• A. Left gastric, common hepatic, splenic
• B. Right gastric, gastroduodenal, common hepatic
• C. Superior mesenteric, inferior mesenteric, celiac
• D. Renal, Hepatic, Splenic

Answer: (A)

The celiac trunk supplies the foregut and has three classic branches: left gastric, splenic, and common hepatic. The left gastric runs along the lesser curvature of the stomach, the splenic gives branches to the spleen (and to parts of the stomach and pancreas), and the common hepatic then supplies the liver through the proper hepatic artery and the stomach/duodenum through the gastroduodenal artery. The key point is that the other arteries listed do not arise directly from the celiac trunk: the gastroduodenal arises from the common hepatic, the right gastric typically comes off the proper hepatic (or less commonly from the common hepatic), and the mesenteric and renal arteries come from the abdominal aorta further downstream. Therefore, the three direct branches of the celiac trunk are left gastric, splenic, and common hepatic.