Lecture 1 liver Flashcards
(24 cards)
which quadrant is the liver situated?
In the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity
What are the four anatomic lobes of the liver
Right (the largest lobe), left, quadrate and caudate lobes
What divides the four lobes of the liver
Fissures (fossae) i.e. ligaments
What 5 ligaments connect the liver to the diaphragm and abdominal walls
the membranous falciform
Coronary
Right and left triangular ligaments
And the fibrous round ligament
What ligament separates the right and left lobes of the liver
The membranous falciform
True or false: the liver can self regenerate
True, and the remaining parts go back to their original size and shape
What two things supply the liver with blood
The portal vein and the hepatic artery
What blood does the hepatic artery carry and to where
It carries well-oxygenated arterial blood to the liver
What blood does the portal vein of the liver carry and to where
oxygen-poor and nutrient-rich blood from the intestines and spleen to the liver
What is a hepatic lobule
Lobules are a functional unit of the liver, consisting of a portal triad at the lobule corners, one-cell-thick plate-like layers of hepatocytes and a central vein. The hepatocytes radiate from the central vein to the edge of the lobule.
What shape do the liver lobules take
Hexagonal prism
Define hepatocytes
Hepatocytes is the name of liver cells
What is a liver sinusoid
It is a capillary i.e. small blood vessels found between the radiating rows of hepatocytes.
What is a liver sinusoid’s importance
It receives oxygen-rich blood from the artery and nutrients of the intestines from the portal vein and diffuses them through it’s capillary walls into the liver cells.
What is the portal area of the liver
It is another functional unit/complex of the liver which consists of branches of the hepatic portal vein, hepatic artery, bile duct and nerve. It is located at the corner of each hexagonal lobule.
What is a bile duct
Any of the ducts that convey bile from the liver
How is bile drained from the liver cells into the duodenum of the small intestine?
Bile is drained by many small ducts that unite to form the main bile duct of the liver, the hepatic duct. This joins the cystic duct (which leads from the
gallbladder) to form the common bile duct, which drains into the duodenum.
What are the 4 basic cell types of the liver
- The hepatocytes
- Stellate fat storing cell
- Kupffer cells
- Liver endothelial cell
What is the role of the hepatocyte cells
They are the biggest population of cells and are involved in synthesizing protein, cholesterol, bile salts, fibrinogen, phospholipids and glycoproteins
What is the role of liver endothelial cells
- Scavenger cells :
- Secretes cytokines (form of cellular communication signal)
- Transports WBC and increasing immune tolerance
What is the role of Kupffer cells
They secrete mediators of immune response system, act as bodyguards for the hepatocytes, phagocytise bacteria and foreign material.
(They are a type of macrophage)
what is the role of stellate cells
Stores Vitamin-A and fat, promotes proliferation of chemical response to stress
Give 5 examples of general functions of the liver
- Produce bile
- Produce cholesterol, carbohydrates and proteins
- Conversion of ammonia to urea
- Clearance of bilirubin (which forms due to RBC breakdown)
- Processing of haemoglobin for use of its iron content
Where does bilirubin come from?
It is the waste product produced primarily in the normal breakdown of haem which comes from haemoglobin haemolysis of RBCs
