Liver

 Introduction
 Location
 Surfaces
 Lobes
 Relations
 Blood supply
 Venous drainage
 Lymphatic drainage
 Nerve supply
 Segments
 Clinical correlate

Introduction:

The liver is a large, solid, gland situated in the right upper quadrant of the abdominal cavity. In the living
subject, the liver is reddish brown in colour, soft in consistency, andvery friable. It weighs about 1600 g
in males and about 1300 g in females.

Location:

The liver occupies the whole of the right hypochondrium, the greater part of the epigastrium, and
extends into the left hypochondrium reaching up to the left lateral line. From the above it will be
obvious that most of the liver is covered by ribs and costal cartilages, except in the upper part of the
epigastrium where it is in contact with the anterior abdominal wall.

The liver is the largest gland in the body. It secretes bile and performs various other metabolic functions.
The liver is also called the 'hepar' from which we have the adjective 'hepatic' applied to many structures
connected with the organ

Surfaces:

It has five surfaces. These are:

L Anterior,

2 Posterior,

3 Superior

4 In-ferior, and

5 Right.
Out of these the inferior surface is well defined because it is demarcated, anteriorly,by a sharp inferior
border. The other surfaces are more or less continuous with each other and are imperfectly separated
from one another by ill-defined, rounded borders.

Border;

One Prominent border,

The inferior border is sharp anteriorly where it separates the anterior surface from the inferior surface.
It is somewhat rounded laterally where it separates the right surface from the inferior surface. The sharp
anterior part is marked by:

a. An interlobar nofck or the notch for the ligament in teres.

b. A cystic notch for the fundus of the gall bladder

In the epigastrium, the inferior border extends from the left 8th costal cartilage to the right 9th costal
cartilage.

Lobes:

The liver is divided into right and left lobes by the

attachment of the falciform lignment anteriorly and

superiorly; by the fissure for the ligamentum teres

inferiorly; and by the fissure for the ligamentum rsenosum

posteriorly.

The right lobe is much larger than the left lobe, and

forms five sixth of the liver. It contributes to all the five

surfaces of the liver, and Presents the caudate and

quadrate lobes.

The caudate lobe is situated on the posterior surface'

It is bounded on the right by the groove for the inferior

l)ena cal)a, on the left by the fissure for the ligamentum

l)enosum, and inferiorly by the portahepatis. Above it is

continuous with the superior surface. Below and to the

right, just behind the porta hepatis, it is connected to

the right lobe of the liver by the caudate process

(Fig.n.za). Below and to the left it presents a small

rounded elevation called the papillary process.

Ttie quadrate lobe is situated on the inferior surface,

and is rectangular in shape. It is bounded anteriorly by