Liver, gall bladder, biliary tree and pancreas Flashcards
What is the largest gland in the human body?
The liver
What areas does the liver occupy?
- Lies across upper abdomen under the diaphragm; in the right hypochondrium and most of epigastric region
- Surrounded by peritoneum except the bare area (related to diaphragm posteriorly)
- Should not be palpable below costal margin at mid-clavic plane
- Descends with inspiration
Where does the liver develop?
- Ventral mesentary
- Anterior to stomach / gut tube
What is the smallest functional unit of the liver?
Hepatic lobule
What do sinusoids lie between?
Sheets of hepatocytes
What do hepatocytes do?
- Produce bile
- Detoxify blood
What are the 2 surfaces of the liver?
- Diaphragmatic (bare area on this surface)
- Visceral (related to organs)
What are the 4 lobes of the liver?
- Left
- Right
- Caudate (belong to left)
- Quadrate (belong to left)
How are the caudate and quadrate lobes deemed distinct?
Functional / vascular distribution point of view
What structures lie on the visceral side of the liver?
- Stomach
- Duodenum
- Kidney
- Colon
What ligament seperates the left from the right lobes anteriorly?
Falciform ligament
What seperates the left lobe from right functionally?
- Line from vena cava to gall bladder
What is the falciform ligament a remnant of?
Ventral mesentary
What lies in the free border of the falciform ligament?
Ligamentum teres
What are the 2 peritoneal layers continous with?
- Coronary (ant + post)
- Triangular ligaments (L + R) on the undersurface of the diaphragm
What does the falciform ligament anchor the liver to?
Anterior abdominal wall
What part of the liver does the peritoneum cover?
The anterior aspect of the diaphragmatic surface
What is the lesser omentum a remnant of?
The ventral mesentary
What is the ligamentum teres (round ligament of liver) a remnant of?
The obliterated umbilical vein
What does the falciform ligament divide into?
Coronary ligaments which then form triangular ligaments
What is the ligamentum venosum a remnant of?
The ductus venosus
How many segements are there in the liver?
- 8 (4 on each lobe)
- ## Caudate and quadrate considered Left
What makes each segemnt distinct?
- Own vascular (hepatic artery and portal vein) inflow
- Vascular outflow (hepatic vein)
- Biliary drainage - Each segment can be surgically removed
What is the hepatic artery proper a branch of?
Coeliac trunk
What does the hepatic artery proper divide into?
Right and left hepatic arteries that enter the porta hepatis
What does the portal vein divide into?
Right and left branches that enter the porta hepatis behind the arteries
Where do the hepatic veins (3 or more) wmerge from and where do they drain?
- Emerge from posterior surface of the liver and drain into the inferior vena cava