The gastroduodenal artery is a branch of which artery?

• A. Common Hepatic Artery
• B. Splenic Artery
• C. Superior Mesenteric Artery
• D. Celiac Trunk

Answer: (A)

The key idea is arterial branching patterns in the upper abdomen. The gastroduodenal artery typically originates from the common hepatic artery, which itself comes from the celiac trunk. After arising from the common hepatic, the gastroduodenal runs behind the first part of the duodenum and along the superior border of the head of the pancreas, giving off the right gastroepiploic and superior pancreaticoduodenal branches to supply the stomach and proximal duodenum. The other arteries shown do not give rise to the gastroduodenal in standard anatomy: the splenic artery mainly supplies the spleen and pancreas; the superior mesenteric artery supplies midgut structures; and the celiac trunk branches into left gastric, splenic, and common hepatic, with the gastroduodenal arising from the common hepatic rather than directly from the celiac trunk.