Hepatic Portal Circulation

Question 1

Hepatic portal circulation:

Answer 1

Subdivision of systemic circulation. Efficient detour in venous return, directed at transporting raw materials (carbohydrates, fats, proteins) from digestive organs & spleen to the liver. Unique because it begins and ends with capillaries.

Question 2

Capillaries from:

Answer 2

Stomach, intestine, spleen and pancreas empty into veins. These veins drain into a common vessel, the portal vein, which leads to liver.

Question 3

In the liver:

Answer 3

Blood enters capillaries called sinusoids. Here, the liver extracts appropriate materials and chemically modifies them.

Question 4

The liver:

Answer 4

Synthesizes, stores, detoxifies, regulates, and transforms raw materials into useful substances the body needs. These useful substances and blood empty into hepatic vein that leads to the IVC.