LIVER ANATOMY

The liver is located in the upper right-hand portion of the abdominal cavity, beneath the diaphragm and on top of the stomach, right kidney and intestines. The liver, a dark reddish-brown organ that weighs about 3 pounds, has multiple functions. There are two distinct sources that supply blood to the liver: oxygenated blood flows in from the hepatic artery nutrient-rich blood flows in from the portal vein

The liver holds about one pint (13 percent) of the bodys blood supply at any given moment. The liver consists of two main lobes, both of which are made up of thousands of lobules. These lobules are connected to small ducts that connect with larger ducts to ultimately form the hepatic duct. The hepatic duct transports the bile produced by the liver cells to the gallbladder and duodenum (the first part of the small intestine). The liver regulates most chemical levels in the blood and excretes a product called bile, which helps carry away waste products from the liver. All the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver. The liver processes this blood and breaks down the nutrients and drugs into forms that are easier to use for the rest of the body. More than 500 vital functions have been identified with the liver. Some of the more well-known functions include the following: Production of bile, which helps carry away waste and break down fats in the small intestine during digestion. Production of certain proteins for blood plasma. Production of cholesterol and special proteins to help carry fats through the body. Conversion of excess glucose into glycogen for storage. (This glycogen can later be converted back to glucose for energy.) Regulation of blood levels of amino acids, which form the building blocks of proteins.

Processing of hemoglobin for use of its iron content. (The liver stores iron.) Conversion of poisonous ammonia to urea. (Urea is one of the end products of protein metabolism that is excreted in the urine.) Clearing the blood of drugs and other poisonous substances. Regulating blood clotting. Resisting infections by producing immune factors and removing bacteria from the blood stream.

When the liver has broken down harmful substances, its by-products are excreted into the bile or blood. Bile byproducts enter the intestine and ultimately leave the body in the feces. Blood by-products are filtered out by the kidneys, and leave the body in the form of urine. Blood flow Venous blood from the entire gastrointestinal tract (containing nutrients from the intestines) is brought to the liver by the hepatic portal vein. Branches of this vein pass in between the lobules and terminate in the sinusoids. Oxygenated blood is supplied in the hepatic artery. The blood leaves the liver via a central vein in each lobule, which drains in the hepatic vein. Hepatic vein - one of several short veins originating within the lobes of the liver as small branches, which unite to form the hepatic veins. These lead directly to the inferior vena cava, draining blood from the liver. Inferior vena cava - formed by the union of the right and left common iliac veins, collects blood from parts of the body below the diaphragm and conveys it to the right atrium of the heart. Hepatic artery - a blood vessel which supplies the liver with oxygenated blood. It supplies 20% of the liver's blood. Hepatic portal vein - a blood vessel which drains venous blood into the liver from the entire gastrointestinal tract. It supplies the remaining 80% of the liver's blood.

MICROSCOPIC STRUCTURES Hepatocytes - the liver cells. Sinusoids - small blood vessels between the radiating rows of hepatocytes. They receive oxygen-rich blood from the hepatic artery and nutrients from the intestines via the portal vein. Oxygen and nutrients diffuse through the capillary walls into the liver cells. Portal area - situated at he corner of each lobule, it is a complex composed of branches of the hepatic portal vein, hepatic artery, bile duct, and nerve. Bile ducts - any of the ducts that convey bile from the liver. Bile is drained from the liver cells 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 gallblader, to form the common bile duct, which drains into the duodenum. Central vein - a blood vessel in the middle of each lobule which receives blood from the hepatic portal vein and hepatic artery via the sinusoids and drains the blood into the hepatic veiN Lobules - hexagonally shaped functional units of the liver, made up of liver cells arranged in one-cell-thick platelike layers that radiate from the central vein to the edge of the lobule.