Liver Anatomy Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Liver Anatomy Deck (50)
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1
Q

What are the surfaces of the liver?

A
  • diaphragmatic
  • visceral
  • bare area
  • recesses
2
Q

What is the subphrenic recess?

A

Separates the liver from the diaphragm

Divided longitudinally by falciform ligament

3
Q

What is the hepatorenal recess?

A

Separates the liver from the right kidney

4
Q

Where do the subphrenic and hepatorenal recesses meet?

A

Anteriorly

5
Q

What are the lobes of the liver?

A

4 lobes: large right (includes 2 accessory lobes) and left

6
Q

What are the properties of the liver lobes?

A

Attached to the anterior wall by the peritoneum via the falciform ligament

7
Q

What is the falciform ligament?

A

Divides subphrenic recess into 2 regions

Continues as ligamentum teres

8
Q

What are the ligaments of the liver?

A

Falciform ligament
Coronary ligament
Triangular ligament
(all formed from peritoneum)

9
Q

Posteriorly what are the right and left liver lobes separated into?

A
  • caudate lobe: between fissure for ligamentum venosum and groove for IVC (next to IVC as begins with C), superior
  • quadrate lobe: between fissure for ligamentum teres and gall bladder, inferior
  • bare area: no periteoneum between A/P coronary ligaments, gallbladder fossa and porta hepatis
10
Q

What does the lesser omentum connect to the liver?

A

Hepatoduodenal and hepatogastric ligaments

Lesser omentum is divided into the hepatoduodenal and hepatogastric ligaments

11
Q

What is the porta hepatis?

A
  • gateway to the liver

- made up of hepatic portal vein, hepatic artery and bile duct

12
Q

What are the Couinaud segments?

A

Hepatic artery and portal vein subdivide lobes into eight segments
Divided vertically by hepatic veins and horizontally by left and right portal veins
Each segment has its own vessels (portal triad + hepatic vein)

13
Q

What is the role of the hepatic vein?

A

Flow through liver returns through here to IVC

14
Q

What carries blood into liver lobule sinusoids?

A

Branches of hepatic artery and portal vein

15
Q

What forms the portal vein and where?

A

Splenic and superior mesenteric veins meet posterior to head of pancreas

16
Q

Where does the inferior mesenteric vein drain?

A

To splenic vein

17
Q

What are the portosystemic anastomoses?

A

Anastomoses between veins of portal circulation and systemic circulation, provides alternative circulatory routes when there is a blockage in liver/portal vein

18
Q

What is cirrhosis?

A

consequences of chronic liver disease
replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules (due to damage) leading to loss of liver function

19
Q

What is portal hypertension?

A

When portal pressure gradient is greater than 5mmHg

20
Q

What is the portal pressure gradient?

A

Pressure between portal vein and IVC

21
Q

What are oesophageal varices?

A
  • occur at anastomoses of left gastric vein with oesophageal veins as gastro-oesophageal junction
  • present with haematemesis (vomiting blood)
  • treated with oesophageal banding (tie around to cut off blood supply so falls off)
  • portal hypertension so blood cannot get through liver and backtracks up oesophagus to systemic system which is not built for overload so vessels twist
22
Q

What are some causes of oesophageal varices?

A
  • peptic/gastroduodenal ulcers
  • tumors
  • erosion of oesophagus
  • gastroenteritis
23
Q

What is ascites?

A
  • fluid in peritoneal space
  • due to: portal hypertension, hypoalbuminemia, aldosterone related renal sodium retention with consequent blood volume expansion
24
Q

What is caput medusae?

A
  • recanalized umbilical vein within falciform ligament

- paraumbilical veins radiate superiorly to intercostal veins and inferiorly to inferior epigastric vein

25
Q

How can you tell the difference between haemorrhoids and ano-rectal varices?

A

Rectal varices are not haemorrhoids
rectal varices - due to portal hypertension as formation of portosystemic shunts, bleed massively
Varices always due to portal hypertension but haemorrhoids not always

26
Q

Which veins are portal and which are systemic?

A

Systemic - internal iliac vein, middle rectal vein, inferior rectal vein
Portal - inferior mesenteric vein, superior rectal vein

27
Q

What drains the oesophagus?

A

Portal - left gastric vein
Systemic - azygos and hemiazygos
- oesophageal varices, haematemesis

28
Q

What drains the rectum?

A

Portal - superior rectal vein
Systemic - inferior rectal vein
- recto-anal varices

29
Q

What drains the anterior abdominal wall?

A

Portal - paraumbilical veins
Systemic - intercostal and inferior epigastric veins
- caput medusae

30
Q

What drains the retro-peritonel organs?

A

Portal - duodenal, pancreatic, right/left colic veins
Systemic - lumbar veins
- retroperitoneal haemorrhage

31
Q

What are the parts of the biliary tree?

A
Cystic duct
neck
body
L+R hepatic ducts
common hepatic ducts
bile duct (lies in groove on posterior surface of pancreas)
Hepatopancreatic ampulla of Vater
fundus
major duodenal papilla surrounded by sphincter of Oddi
32
Q

How is bile secreted?

A
  • by liver at a constant rate of 40ml/hour
  • canaliculi drain into interlobar ducts
  • bile ducts form left and right hepatic ducts at porta hepatis
  • right hepatic duct -> right lobe and left hepatic duct -> left lobe, caudate and quadrate lobe
  • bile ducts leave the porta hepatis -> form common hepatic duct
33
Q

What is the significance of the gall bladder?

A

concentrates bile
related to hepatic flexure of colon and duodenum
inflamed gall bladder (cholecystitis) herniates into colon and duodenum
pain in right upper quadrant (right flank and right scapula)

34
Q

What is the blood supply to the gallbladder?

A

From common hepatic artery -> right hepatic artery -> cystic artery

35
Q

In what abdominal quadrant is the liver in?

A

Right hypochondrium

36
Q

What is the pringle manoeuvre?

A

Clamp hepatoduodenal ligament to interrupt flow of blood through hepatic artery and portal vein controlling bleeding from the liver and allowing you to identify the source of bleeding

37
Q

What is the free border of the lesser omentum?

A

Hepatoduodenal ligament

38
Q

What is the blood supply to the liver?

A

25% coeliac trunk and 75% portal circulation

39
Q

How does the coeliac trunk supply the liver?

A

Coeliac trunk -> common hepatic artery (gives off supply to gastroduodenal proper) -> hepatic artery proper

40
Q

How oxygenated is the portal supply to the liver?

A

Blood already been processed through intestines so around 50% oxygenated
superior mesenteric vein forms portal vein
superior mesenteric vein formed from inferior mesenteric vein

41
Q

What does caval mean?

A

systemic
opposite to portal
porto-systemic anastomoses can also be porto-caval anastomoses

42
Q

What is the difference between the portal system and the systemic system?

A

Systemic: heart -> arteries-> coeliac trunk SMA IMA -> proper hepatic artery to liver -> capillary bed around liver -> hepatic vein -> IVC
portal: arteries -> coeliac trunk SMA IMA -> capillary bed in intestines -> hepatic portal vein -> hepatic vein -> IVC

43
Q

What is a proto-systemic anastomosis?

A

Where the portal system overlaps with the systemic system allowing the blood to reroute where there is hypertension and blood cannot follow the normal route (collateral flow)

44
Q

What are the 3 main porto-systemic anastomoses?

A
  • oesophagus: proximal 2/3 of oesophagus drains into vena cava systemically via azygos and hemiazygos veins, distal 1/3 into hepatic portal vein via portal system via left gastric vein
    rectus: superior drains into portal system via superior rectal vein at top 1/3, bottom 2/3 drains into systemic system via inferior rectal vein
  • umbilical: superficial veins of abdomen drain into systemic system into femoral/great saphenous vein then vena cava, in fetal development umbilical vein comes from placenta and some goes to the liver, not in use but still a passageway
45
Q

How can portal hypertension lead to anaemia and thrombocytopenia?

A

splenomegaly -> hyperactive spleen -> clears premature RBCs

46
Q

How does cirrhosis cause ascites?

A

Liver produces albumin -> cirrhosis of liver means albumin not produced -> no oncotic effect -> fluid not drawn into vessels and leaks into interstitium and abdomen peritoneum = lymphatic retention

47
Q

How does ascites result in renal sodium retention?

A

Veins bulge due to lymphatic retention -> body thinks it is going into hypovolemic shock -> aldosterone kicks in -> blood vessels vasoconstrict to compensate -> suprarenal gland releases aldosterone to signal for sodium retention -> water retention -> blood volume expansion -> ascites exacerbated

48
Q

Where do the internal and external venous plexi drain?

A

Internal - above pectinate line into the portal system
External - into systemic system
(veins of rectum and anal canal)

49
Q

What is Murphy’s sign?

A

to differentiate pain in right upper quadrant
positive in cholecystitis
ask patient to breathe out then place hand below costal margin on RHS mid clavicular line (gallbladder location), patient inspires and normally abdominal contents pushed downward as diaphragm moves down, if patient stops breathing in and comes in contact with fingers may catch a breath, test is positive as gallbladder is tender
same test must not elicit pain on LHS

50
Q

What is the role of the ampulla of Vater?

A

hepatopancreatic ampulla/duct
formed from union of pancreatic duct and common bile duct
at the major duodenal papilla
SM sphincters regulate flow of bile and pancreatic secretion into the duodenum and prevents duodenal contents entering ampulla