[Anatomy of the liver. What does the radiologist need to know?]

The liver is the largest unpaired parenchymatous organ in the human body and takes part in almost all important metabolic processes. Many patients show alterations of the whole organ due to vascular/cardiac disorders, metabolic or infectious diseases (congestion, fatty liver disease, fibrosis and cirrhosis). However the liver is also a common site for metastatic lesions of malignant tumors. Additionally, benign focal lesions, such as hemangioma or focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) occur quite frequently. To describe and diagnose these lesions in terms of dignity and location, knowledge of the macroscopic structure and the relative position of the organ in relation to neighbouring organs are important as well as the histology. The microstructure of the liver and its vascular and biliary vessels are determined by the embryonic development and its function as a central metabolic organ.