Liver A&P and Functions Flashcards
Where is the liver located?
-Right upper quadrant
-Thoracic portion of the abdominal cavity
-Extends from ribs 7 to 11 along the right midaxillary line
-Largest solid organ in the body
The liver is what % of body weight?
-2.5% of body weight
-5% of a neonate’s body weight
-~1500 gms
What divides the liver into right and left?
The Falciform Ligament
What are the 4 lobes of the Liver?
-Right
-Left
-Caudate
-Quadrate
The liver is further subdivided into segments based on what?
Proximity to the hepatic and portal veins.
-8 Segments (Couinaud system)
How much CO does the liver receive?
Approx. 25% of CO via a dual arterial and venous blood supply.
-1500 mL/min
-Hepatic Artery
-Portal Vein
Nagelhout:
The hepatic artery and portal vein enter the liver and progressively branch until terminating in the hepatic sinusoids.
Describe the blood flow supplied by the Portal Vein.
-70-75% of blood flow
-50% of O2 supply
Made of the:
-Splenic vein
-Superior/Inferior Mesenteric Veins
Portal vein gets deoxygenated blood flow from the GI tract and sends it to the liver to be filtered (Hepatic 1st pass).
-Contains deoxygenated blood (85%), nutrients/toxins from GI tract, and colonic bacteria from the gut.
Describe the blood flow from the Hepatic Artery.
-20-25% of blood flow
-50% of O2 supply
Branch off of the Celiac Artery (from Abdominal Aorta)
-Provides Oxygen-rich blood
What is the pressure in the Hepatic Artery?
Whatever the arterial pressure is
What is the pressure in the Portal Vein?
-Low pressure system. Usually 6-10 mmHg.
-O2 saturation is 85%
-Low pressure here allows the liver to act as a circulatory reservoir (large venous reservoir) in case of hemorrhage.
What is the Hepatic Artery Buffer Response (HABR)?
An autoregulatory response that is inversely affected by the portal blood flow.
-Ex: Portal HTN will decrease blood supply to the Liver. In response, the Hepatic artery compensates (buffers) by picking up more blood and shunting it to the liver to make up for the lack on the portal vein side.
-A fail-safe system so that the liver actually gets perfused.
Nagelhout:
-Changes in hepatic artery or portal vein blood flow may not result in an overall change in total hepatic flow due to the hepatic artery buffer response (HABR).
-This response is a semireciprocal autoregulatory mechanism whereby changes in portal flow inversely affect hepatic arterial flow.
What is the sympathetic innervation to the Liver?
T3 - T11
What is the parasympathetic innervation to the Liver?
-Right & Left Vagus Nerve
-Right Phrenic Nerve
What ANS receptors are located on the Hepatic Artery?
Vasoconstricting Receptors:
-α1 adrenergic
Vasodilating Receptors:
-β2 adrenergic
-D1 dopaminergic
-Cholinergic receptors
What ANS receptors are located on the Portal Vein?
-α1 adrenergic
-D1 dopaminergic
What is the functional unit of the Liver?
The Hepatic Lobule.
-50,000 to 100,000 in a normal liver.
Describe the structure of a hepatic lobule.
-Hepatocytes radiate around a Central Vein in a hexagonal pattern.
-Portal Canals are in the corners, and contain lymphatic vessels, nerves, and a portal triad.
-Blood from the portal canal vessels (Hepatic Artery & Portal Vein) flows through hepatic sinusoids (where it gets cleansed via capillaries) to the Central Vein, which returns the blood to the IVC via the Hepatic Vein
-Takes 8-9 seconds for blood to flow from the portal vein to the central vein
What is the portal triad?
-Hepatic Artery
-Portal Vein
-Bile Duct
What are Cords?
Layers of hepatocytes. 1-2 cells.
-Primary function is cleansing, metabolizing, and synthesizing our blood (Hepatocytes have a large surface area that allows us to clean blood).
-Blood is released into sinusoids, where it is filtered again, before exiting into the Central Vein, and getting dumped into systemic circulation via the IVC
-Goal is to prevent toxins/bacteria from entering systemic circulation
What kind of tissue are the Capillaries in the sinusoidal space?
-Fenestrated Endothelium
-Cells have large fenestrations (holes) which permit the diffusion of fluids, large plasma proteins, and other solutes into the spaces surrounding the hepatocytes.
-Occurs via diffusion/equilibrium
What is the Space of Disse?
The space between the endothelial layer (Capillaries) and the Hepatocytes.
What is unique about the Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells?
Produce a large quantity of lymph that is nearly equal in protein concentration to plasma.
What are Kupffer Cells?
Macrophages that phagocytize 99% of the bacteria/toxins delivered from the GI tract (From PORTAL CIRCULATION) before reaching systemic circulation.
-Found in the hepatic sinusoids (Sinusoidal Space)
How does the liver function as a vascular reservoir?
-Normal blood volume of the Liver is 450 mL (10% of total blood volume
-Can hold up to 1 L of blood.
-With CHF, blood is shunted and housed in the Liver.