Hepatovenous segments in the human liver

Area of Science:

• Anatomy
• Vascular Anatomy
• Hepatic Anatomy

Background:

• Understanding the precise anatomical segmentation of the liver is crucial for surgical planning and interpreting imaging studies.
• The hepatic venous system, which drains the liver, exhibits specific segmental patterns that influence surgical approaches and disease localization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To delineate and characterize the distinct hepatovenous segments within the human liver.
• To assess the consistency and variability in the size and boundaries of these identified hepatovenous segments across a cohort of human livers.

Main Methods:

• The study involved the analysis of 95 human liver specimens.
• Corrosion casting of hepatic veins was performed on 72 specimens, and 23 livers underwent X-ray imaging after barium sulfate injection into the hepatic veins.

Main Results:

• Five consistent hepatovenous segments were identified in all specimens: left, middle, right, paracaval, and caudate.
• The sizes of corresponding hepatovenous segments were found to be similar in 77.9% of the studied livers.
• In the remaining livers, variations in segment size were observed, with segments increasing or decreasing in size at the expense of neighboring segments.

Conclusions:

• The human liver can be consistently divided into five distinct hepatovenous segments based on vascular patterns.
• While a standard segmental size exists in the majority of cases, anatomical variations in hepatovenous segment dimensions are common and should be considered in clinical practice.