Chapter 2 Flashcards
The structure of the liver can be broken into which 3 categories
- hepatic vascular system
- biliary tree
- hepatic lobules
Why is the liver considered a vascular organ?
it has a dual blood supply, and at any given time contains 13% of the bodies blood
Describe the dual blood supply of the liver
Arerial blood supplied by hepatic artery and portal vien brings the liver al the blood that was previously passed through the small intestine and spleen.
What are sinusoids in the liver?
vascular channels lined with highly fenestrated endothelial cells and surrounded by hepatocytes.
what provides a major portion of the body lymps?
plasma that is filtered into the space between the endothelium and hepatocytes
describe the flow of blood int the liver
hepatic portal vein + hepatic artery»_space; sinusoids —^plasma—>central vein of each lobule—-> hepatic veins > (leaves liver)—> inferior vena cava.
What is the biliary system?
a series of channels and ducts that transport bile from the liver into the small intestine.
What cells produce and secrete the bile?
hepatocytes
What happens to bile once it reaches the gallbladder?
its concentrated and stored until it is needed for digestive sxs. it re-enters the common bile duct to form ampulla of vater.
What controls the ampullary opening into the duodenum?
muscle sphincter of Oddi.
What is the hepatic lobule consisted of?
hexagonal arrangement of plates of hepatocytes radiating outwards from a central vein. It encompasses the liver tissue that is served by a single branch of the central vein.
What are portal triads?
regions of connective tissue that include branches of the bile duct, portal vein and hepatic artery.
How many hepatic lobules are in a normal liver?
100K
What is the primary purpose of the liver?
to maintain homeostasis by
- detoxification
- metabolism
- synthesis of lipoproteins and cholesterol
- synthesis of plasma proteins
- synthesis of immune factors
- digestive function
- excretion of bilirubin
- storage
Define liver metabolism
hepatic cells assimilate carbs, fats, and proteins
they convert glucose to glycogen
what Glucogenesis?
production of glucose from sources other than carbs- can be carried out by the liver.
Name the plasma proteins produced by the liver
- albumin
- fibrinogen
- certain globulins (transport proteins)
What do the phagocytes in the liver produce in response to the inflammatory process, tissue repair and immune cell activities?
they produce acute-phase protein in response to microbes
What is the purpose of bile? what does it do?
digests and aids in the absorption of fats. The liver adds a bicarbonate-rich solution of inorganic ions, which helps neutralize acid in the duodenum
What is bilirubin?
results from the breakdown of the hemoglobin in the RBC and is excreted into the bile by hepatocytes.
what happens when bilirubin cannot be removed from the blood quickly enough?
Jaundice
What vitamins and proteins are stored in the liver?
- glucose in form of glycogen
- fats
- iron
- copper
- vit K, A, D, B12
What are some primary issues that are associated with the use of FLT’s for liver pathology screening?
- non-specific to Liver function
- LFTs have low sensitivity and specificity
- results can be affected by several factors
- structural or functional damage can evade detection using BW
LFTs are tested to evaluate the specific aspects of the liver. They can be categorized based on their ability to what (5)
- detect injury to hepatocytes
- determine hepatic biosynthetic capacity
- measure excretory function
- detect chronic inflammation of the liver, and hep
- serve as tumour markers.