## 1 Introduction  
This review and meta-analysis has arisen from the need to update existing knowledge in respect of anatomical variants of the abdominal arteries, including cadaveric, imaging, and surgical samples. The spleen is the largest secondary immune organ in the body; it weighs 0.2% of the total body weight and uses 3% of the body's cardiac output. It is also one of the most vascularized abdominal organs, consistent with the thickness of its blood vessels; this thickness is necessary for it to perform its main functions, including both innate and adaptive immune function and removing old and abnormal red blood cells from circulation, as well as cellular debris and circulating tumor cells [1].  
Splenic circulation comprises arterial vessels that are part of the circulation that supplies the esophagus, stomach, proximal duodenum, liver, biliary system, and pancreas [2]. Generally, this circulation is facilitated by the celiac trunk, which originates in the abdominal aorta. This trunk, in most cases, gives rise to three branches: the common hepatic artery, the left gastric artery, and the splenic artery. The splenic artery has an average diameter of around five millimeters, constituting the largest branch of the celiac trunk. It originates at the level of the first lumbar vertebra, with an anteroinferior course, after a short oblique supraparancreatic segment downwards and to the left. Then, it is directed transversely, following a tortuous path along the superior edge of the pancreas posterior to the omental bursa. Next, it runs through the anterior of the pancreas tail, then passes between the splenorenal ligament leaves and reaches the hilum of the spleen, where it can be divided into two to five terminal branches. At this level, it gives rise to the short vessels of the stomach and the left gastro-omental (gastroepiploic) artery that penetrates the gastrospelnic ligament [3; 4; 5]. In the study by [PERSON] et al., 2004, it was found that the pattern described above was present in 237 (74.1%) of the 320 specimens studied [6].  
Knowledge in respect of splenic vascular anatomy is crucial for both surgeons and radiologists as it is not only helpful for performing diagnostic evaluations but also for guiding surgical procedures. In relation to the above, the absence of anastomosis between the arterial vessels within the spleen is described; this determines the formation of vascular segments of the spleen, which allows the execution of subtotal splenectomies [7; 8]. In this regard, some studies using radioisotopes in patients who underwent operations involving a type of disconnection technique have allowed the simplification of operative techniques at the level of the gastric vessels without ligating the splenic artery; this is the reason why some authors have dedicated themselves to the study of patterns of branching of the celiac trunk [9; 10]. However, within abdominal vascular diseases, visceral aneurysms represent a smaller fraction and it is important to know about these because of the possibility of rupture, hemorrhage, and the consequent risk to life. Splenic artery aneurysm is a disease with a poorly understood incidence due to its asymptomatic nature. From the point of view of etiopathogenesis, it mainly affects women with an average age of 55 years, arterial hypertension with splenomegaly, atherosclerosis, infections, and trauma. These aneurysms are difficult to diagnose by clinical examination, so different imaging studies are required for their diagnosis [11]. If the artery's pattern has a variation, surgical techniques will be used to avoid putting the patient's life at risk. For this reason, the objective of this research was to characterize the behavior of the lineal or splenic artery in humans from both anatomical and clinical points of view.