physiology of the liver Flashcards
Who does not have a gallbladder?
horse
what does the liver do?
- Accessory digestive organ – produces bile, which helps emulsify fats.
- Active in carbohydrate metabolism
- Synthesizes and stores glycogen
- Releases glucose into the bloodstream by breaking down glycogen
- Synthesizes glucose
- Protein metabolism. Produces albumin.
- Lipid metabolism
- Metabolism of hormones, drugs, toxins
- Converts ammonia to urea (which is excreted in the urine)
• Vitamin storage, blood storage, blood cell formation
hepatic structure
grossly: lobes
microstructure: lobules around central vein
blood flow through liver
from hepatic portal veins and hepatic artery into liver
blood flows through the sinusoids then into the central vein of lobule then to the interlobular > hepatic v > caudal vena cava
does bile flow in the same of opposite direction of blood in the liver?
opposite
nerve supply to liver
sympathetic- periarterial plexuses
parasympathetic- vagal trunks
hepatic portal system
- Tributaries draining the digestive tract, spleen, and pancreas form the hepatic portal vein > into lobules
- Blood containing nutrients, toxins, waste products flows into the liver, is processed, and ultimately drains into the caudal vena cava after processing.
what happens if the hepatic portal v is obstructed in a dog?
fatal
where does the hepatic artery a branch of?
celiac artery off aorta
intrahepatic shunt
shunt is within the liver parenchyma (functional part)
causes blood to skin the sinusoids
extrahepatic shunt
shunt between portal veins caudal vena cave, skipping the entire liver
microvascular hepatic dysplasia
abnormal development of the finer branches of the intrahepatic portal vv
typically in small terriers, hereditary
normal life span but take care with anesthetics or other drugs requiring rapid metabolism
consequences of liver shunt
failure of nutrients to by assimilated
ammonia not converted to urea (ammonia toxicity)
