The liver is an organ in the upper right-hand part of your abdomen. It sits under the diaphragm, and on top of the stomach, right kidney, and intestines.
The liver is a dark reddish-brown color, and is shaped a bit like a wedge. It weighs about 3 pounds. The liver has 2 lobes. Both are made up of 8 segments that have of 1,000 small lobes called lobules. These lobules are connected to small tubes (ducts) that lead to larger ducts that form the common hepatic duct. The common hepatic duct sends the bile made by the liver cells to the gallbladder and the first part of the small intestine (duodenum) through the common bile duct.
The liver holds about 1 pint (13%) of your body’s blood supply. There are 2 blood vessels that send blood to the liver. They are:
The liver has more than 500 vital functions. All the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver. The liver processes this blood. It breaks down, balances, and creates nutrients. It also processes medicines and other chemicals. The liver:
When the liver has broken down harmful substances, this waste is excreted into the bile or blood. Waste in bile enters the intestine and leaves the body in the form of feces. Waste in blood is filtered out by the kidneys, and leaves the body in the form of urine.
The liver is predominantly located in the right hypochondrium and epigastric areas, and extends into the left hypochondrium.
When discussing the anatomical position of the liver, it is useful to consider its external surfaces, associated ligaments, and the anatomical spaces (recesses) that surround it.
The structure of the liver can be considered both macroscopically and microscopically.
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:
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.
Microscopically, the cells of the liver (known as hepatocytes) are arranged into lobules. These are the structural units of the liver.
Each anatomical lobule is hexagonal-shaped and is drained by a central vein. At the periphery of the hexagon are three structures collectively known as the portal triad:
The portal triad also contains lymphatic vessels and vagus nerve (parasympathetic) fibres.
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