Hepatobiliary System Flashcards
Which ligament separates the right and left lobe of the liver?
The falciform ligament
What structure anatomically separates the right and the left liver?
The middle hepatic vein
How any different segments does the liver have?
8
What is the purpose of the blood delivered to the liver by the hepatic portal vein?
Carries venous blood drained from the spleen, GI tract and associated organs
What is the purpose of the hepatic artery?
To carry blood from the aorta to the liver
Which two blood vessel compose of the dual blood supply of the liver?
- Hepatic artery
- Portal vein
What vessels are responsible for the outflow of the liver?
The hepatic veins and the bile ducts
How many hepatic veins are in the liver?
3 – right, middle and left hepatic veins
Which side of the liver are functional segments 1-4 found on?
The left side
Which side of the liver are functional segments 5-8 found on?
The right side
What is the teres ligament?
- Emerges from the posterior side of the liver
- Reminant of the fetal umbilical cord
What is the sinusoid?
Mixed arterial and venous blood which drain into the central veins
What are the two sides which all hepatocytes have?
They have a bile-canaliculi facing side and a sinusoid facing side
What is a hepatic lobule?
The hexagonal structual unit of liver tissue
What is found at each corner of a hepatocyte?
Portal triad
What is found at the center of each hepatic lobule?
Central vein
What is the function of the central vein in the middle of the hepatic lobules?
Collects blood from the hepatic sinusoids into the hepatic veins and into the systemic venous system
What is a portal triad?
Structure found at every corner of a hepatic lobule, consists of a hepatic artery, portal vein and a bile duct
What does the hepatic artery in the portal triad do?
Brings O2-rich blood into liver to support the high energy demands of hepatocytes
What does the portal vein in the portal trial do?
Brings mixed venous blood from GIT (nutrients, bacteria and toxins) and spleen (waste products)
What do hepatocytes do with blood from the portal veins?
Process nutrients, detoxify blood and excrete waste
What is the purpose of the bile duct in the portal triad?
Bile produced by hepatocytes drains into a bile canaliculi
What is a hepatic acinus?
- Functional unit of the liver
- Consists of two adjacent 1/6th hepatic lobules, which share two portal triads and extend into the hepatic lobules as far as the central vein
Describe the three zone model
Zone 1 - closest to the edge of the hepatic lobules and near the portal triad
Zone 2 - middle
Zone 3 - closest to the central vein
Describe the blood which is recieved in zone 1?
Zone 1 is closest to the portal triad, thus recieves the most oxygenated blood however has the highest risk of toxins
Describe the blood recieved in zone 3 of the hepatic acinus?
Zone 3 blood is low in oxygen, but the toxin risk is also lower
Which zone of the hepatic acinus is usually affected by ischaemia?
Zone 1
What type of endothelial cells are sinusoidal endothelial cells?
Fenestrated (discontinuous endothelium)
What do sinusoidal endothelial cells do?
Allow lipids and large molecule movement to and from hepatocytes
Where are Kuppfer cells found?
In the sinusoid, attached to the sinusoidal enodthelial cells
What are Kuppfer cells?
Sinusoidal macrophages
What is the purpose of the Kuppfer cell?
Eliminate and detoxify substances arriving in liver from portal circulation via phagocytosis
Where are the hepatic stellate cells found?
In the space of disse
Where is the space of disse found?
In the gap between the hepatocytes and the sinosoid
What are the three roles of the hepatic stellate cells?
- Store Vitain A in the liver in cytosolic droplets
- Become activated (fibroblasts) in response to liver damage
- Proliferate, chemotactic and deposit collagen in ECM
What hepatocytes responsible for synthesizing?
Albumin, clotting factors and bile salts
What are cholangiocytes and what are there functions?
Cells lining the bile ducts that secrete bicarbonate and water into the bile
What are the metabolic and catabolic functions of the hepatocyte?
Synthesis and utilization of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins
What are the secretory and excretory functions of the hepatocyte?
Synthesis andsecretion of proteins, bile and waste products
What are the detoxification & immunological functions of the hepatocyte?
Breakdown of ingested pathogens and processing of drugs