Liver & gallbladder Flashcards
4 unpaired accessory digestive organs
Liver
Gallbladder
Spleen
Pancreas
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Is the liver intraperitoneal or retroperitoneal
What does the liver have low levels of
INTRAperitoneal
Connective tissue
Where is the liver located
RUQ
What is the liver a major producer of
Lymph
25-50% of lymph
What is the largest gland in the body
Liver
What does the liver synthesise
- Bile
- AAs
- Gluconeogenesis
- Cholesterol
What does the liver break down
- TOXINS
- Hormones
- Drugs
- Ammonia
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What does the liver store
Glucose
Iron
Name the 4 anatomical lobes of the liver
What are these functional lobes based on
- Right lobe
- Left lobe
- Quadrate Lobe
- Caudal lobe
Based on blood supply - independent segments can undergo surgical resection
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What is the porta hepatis
Where does the hepatic vein drain
“hilum” of liver where abdominal structures can enter or leave
Hepatic vein drains posteriorly to IVC - drains blood away from liver but does not pass through the porta hepatis
Lobes of liver - different views
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Embryological diagram
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What is the ligamentum venosum
Remnant of ductus venosus
What are the 3 components of the portal triad
- Common bile duct
- Hepatic artery proper
- Hepatic portal vein
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Posterior surface of liver - arterial and venous supply
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Where does the common hepatic artery branch from
Celiac trunk
When does the common hepatic artery become the hepatic artery proper
When the gastroduodenal artery branches off to travel inferiorly
Where does the hepatic artery proper branch
At the PORTA HEPATIS to become the right and left hepatic arteries
Where does the liver receive blood from
ARTERIAL
Hepatic arteries - 20-25%
VENOUS
Hepatic portal vein - 75-80%
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Where does the hepatic portal vein carry blood to and from
Carries all nutrients (carried in venous blood) from GIT directly to the liver
What is special about the O2 content in the hepatic portal vein
Has a slightly higher O2 content than the venous blood in the systemic system
(Blood that has drained from the muscles in lower limb drains into IVC)
When does the hepatic portal vein form
When the superior mesenteric and splenic veins unite
Venous drainage of the liver
Hepatic vein drains blood away from liver and back to systemic system
What do the central veins of the liver form
central veins of liver unite together and drain to form the left, right and middle hepatic veins respectively
What helps to keep the liver in position
Relationship between hepatic veins and IVC helps to keep liver in position
- in addition to ligaments of liver
Summary of liver
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What does the gallbladder do
An organ that stores and concentrates bile
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- What is bile
- Where is it produced
- Bile is a yellow-brown/green fluid that aids in emulsification of fat
- Produced by liver - secreted by hepatocytes
What is emulsification
Breakdown of large fat globules into smaller, uniformly distributed particles prior to being digested by specific enzymes
What do the biliary ducts do
Convey bile from liver and deposit it into the GIT, specifically into 2nd part of duodenum
What does the biliary system allow
BIle to be released intermittently and when needed
Name the 3 parts of the gallbladder
- Fundus
- Body
- Neck
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What is the body of the gallbladder in contact with
1st part of duodenum
Visceral surface of the liver
What is a special feature of the neck of the gallbladder
- Narrow
- Mucosa begins to twirl into a spiral fold which acts like a valve in the cystic duct - sometimes called The Spiral Valves of Heister
What happens if the sphincter of the bile duct is closed
Bile can back up along the common bile duct, travel along the cystic duct and be stored in the bladder (up to 50ml - concentrated through the absorption of water and salts)
Where does the cystic artery branch from
Right hepatic artery (variable)
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Where does the cystic artery travel
In the cystohepatic triangle - triangle of Calot
Venous drainage of gallbladder
Cystic veins drain blood away from the gallbladder
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What is the gallbladder in direct contact with
Visceral (inferior) surface of the liver and is firmly adhered
Where do most small veins from the body of the gallbladder pass
Directly into hepatic sinusoids within liver
Where do most veins around the neck of the gallbladder drain into
Hepatic portal vein
Summary of Gallbladder
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