Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 22, 2025
3-Dimensional Resin Casting and Imaging of Mouse Portal Vein or Intrahepatic Bile Duct System
Published on: October 25, 2012
Preliminary Studies on the Intrahepatic Anatomy of the Venous Vasculature in Cats
Mélanie Davy Metzger1, Elke Van der Vekens2, Juliane Rieger3,4
1Division of Small Animal Clinical Surgery, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Insights
This study details feline liver vascular anatomy, revealing consistent intrahepatic portal and venous patterns. Findings clarify feline liver anatomy, crucial for veterinary surgical procedures.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Anatomy
- Comparative Anatomy
- Surgical Anatomy
Background:
- Hepatic surgeries in cats are common for diagnosis, mass removal, and shunt treatment.
- Detailed vascular anatomy of the feline liver is not well-documented.
- Existing literature on feline liver anatomy requires clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and describe the intrahepatic portal and venous anatomy in healthy cats.
- To provide a detailed anatomical reference for feline hepatic surgery.
- To correct previous descriptions of feline portal vein branching.
Main Methods:
- Utilized corrosion casts of portal and hepatic veins from healthy cat livers (n=7).
- Employed computed tomography (CT) analysis of the corrosion casts.
- Documented intrahepatic vascular branching patterns and lobe connections.
Main Results:
- Feline livers exhibit consistent intrahepatic portal and venous anatomy with minor variations.
- The feline portal vein consistently bifurcates into two main branches, not three.
- A novel finding includes a portal vein originating from the right medial lobe branch to the quadrate lobe in 4/7 cats.
- Partial to complete fusion between the caudate process and right lateral lobe was observed in two specimens.
Conclusions:
- Established a detailed description of common intrahepatic venous patterns in cats.
- The findings provide critical anatomical data for feline hepatic surgery.
- Further research is recommended to validate these findings and explore surgical applications.
Abstract:
Hepatic surgeries are often performed in cats to obtain a disease diagnosis, for the removal of masses, or for the treatment of shunts. Whereas the vascular anatomy of the liver has been studied in dogs, such evidence is lacking in cats. The current study used corrosion casts of portal and hepatic veins and computed tomography (CT) analysis of the casts to identify and describe the intrahepatic anatomy in healthy cat livers (n = 7). The results showed that feline livers had a consistent intrahepatic portal and venous anatomy, with only minor disparities in the numbers of secondary and tertiary branches. The feline portal vein consistently divided into two major branches and not three, as previously described in the literature for cats. The finding of a portal vein originating from the right medial lobe branch leading to the quadrate lobe in 4/7 specimens is a novelty of the feline anatomy that was not previously described in dogs. Partial to complete fusion of the caudate process of the caudate and the right lateral lobe, with a lack of clear venous separation between the lobes, was present in two specimens. These findings allowed a detailed description of the most common intrahepatic venous patterns in cats. Further anatomical studies should be encouraged to confirm the present findings and to investigate the utility of this information in surgical settings.
