Which of the following statements about the cystic artery is CORRECT?

Explanation

## Cystic Artery: Origin and Anatomy ### Origin of Cystic Artery **Key Point:** The cystic artery arises from the **right hepatic artery in 80–90% of cases**. This is the most common and clinically important origin. ### Anatomical Variants | Origin | Frequency | Clinical Note | | --- | --- | --- | | Right hepatic artery | 80–90% | Most common; standard anatomy | | Gastroduodenal artery | 5–10% | Anomalous; requires careful dissection | | Left hepatic artery | 2–5% | Rare; crosses anterior to common bile duct | | Superior mesenteric artery | <1% | Very rare anomaly | | Celiac trunk | <1% | Extremely rare | ### Course Within Calot Triangle **High-Yield:** The cystic artery typically crosses **anterior to the common hepatic duct** (in most cases) or may run posterior to it. It forms the **superior boundary** of Calot triangle and must be identified and ligated before division of the cystic duct during cholecystectomy. **Clinical Pearl:** Anomalous origin of the cystic artery (from gastroduodenal artery or left hepatic artery) increases the risk of vascular injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy if the surgeon is not vigilant. **Mnemonic:** **RHA-80** = Cystic artery from **R**ight **H**epatic **A**rtery in **80%** of cases. ### Why Terminal Branch Statement is Misleading While the cystic artery is often described as a "terminal branch" of the right hepatic artery, it may have small subdivisions to different parts of the gallbladder (fundus, body, neck). However, it does not have major further branching like the hepatic arteries themselves.