02/08/2020
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.
Shaped like a cone, the liver is a dark reddish-brown organ that weighs about 3 pounds.
There are 2 distinct sources that supply blood to the liver, including the following:
🔹Oxygenated blood flows in from the hepatic artery.
🔹Nutrient-rich blood flows in from the hepatic portal vein.
The liver is covered by a fibrous layer, known as Glisson’s capsule.
It is divided into a right lobe and left lobe by the attachment of the falciform ligament. There are two further ‘accessory’ lobes that arise from the right lobe, and are located on the visceral surface of liver:
🔸Caudate lobe – located on the upper aspect of the visceral surface. It lies between the inferior vena cava and a fossa produced by the ligamentum venosum (a remnant of the fetal ductus venosus).
🔸Quadrate lobe – located on the lower aspect of the visceral surface. It lies between the gallbladder and a fossa produced by the ligamentum teres (a remnant of the fetal umbilical vein).
✔️ Separating the caudate and quadrate lobes is a deep, transverse fissure – known as the porta hepatis. It transmits all the vessels, nerves and ducts entering or leaving the liver with the exception of the hepatic veins.
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