hepatic portal vein

Examples of hepatic portal vein in the following topics:

• Blood Supply to the Liver

  • In the hepatic portal system, the liver receives a dual blood supply from the hepatic portal vein and the hepatic arteries.
  • In the hepatic portal system, the liver receives a dual blood supply from the hepatic portal vein and hepatic arteries.
  • Oxygen is provided from both sources; approximately half of the liver's oxygen demand is met by the hepatic portal vein, and half is met by the hepatic arteries.
  • An image of a liver with the hepatic veins labeled.
  • A diagram that shows the hepatic portal vein and its territory.

• Hepatic Portal Circulation

  • The hepatic portal system is the system of veins comprising the hepatic portal vein and its tributaries.
  • The hepatic portal vein supplies about 75% of the blood the liver requires, with the other 25% supplied by the hepatic artery.
  • Blood from the hepatic artery is oxygenated but nutrient-poor compared to that supplied by the hepatic portal vein.
  • Since blood received from the hepatic portal vein may be contaminated with pathogens such as bacteria, the liver is rich in specialized immune cells called Kupffer cells that detect and destroy foreign organisms.
  • Following processing, blood collects in a central vein that drains into the hepatic vein and finally the inferior vena cava.

• Veins

  • Although most veins take blood back to the heart, portal veins carry blood between capillary beds.
  • For example, the hepatic portal vein takes blood from the capillary beds in the digestive tract and transports it to the capillary beds in the liver.
  • The blood is then drained in the gastrointestinal tract and spleen, where it is taken up by the hepatic veins and blood is taken back into the heart.
  • Since this is an important function in mammals, damage to the hepatic portal vein can be dangerous.
  • Blood clotting in the hepatic portal vein can cause portal hypertension, which results in a decrease of blood fluid to the liver.

• Transport of Hormones

  • Some endocrine glands secrete into a portal system rather than the systemic circulation that allows for the direct targeting of hormones.
  • For example, hormones secreted by the pancreas pass into the hepatic portal vein that transports them directly to the liver.

• Principal Veins

  • Communicating veins, or perforator veins if they pass through a large muscle mass, directly connect superficial and direct veins.
  • The renal and hepatic veins from the kidneys and liver respectively also feed into the inferior vena cava.
  • There are four pulmonary veins, two from each lung, each of which forms from three to four bronchial veins.
  • The hepatic portal vein carries blood from the gastrointestinal tract to the liver.
  • The portal vein is often described as a false vein because it conducts blood between capillary networks rather than between a capillary network and the heart.

• Anatomy of the Liver

  • The liver is connected to two large blood vessels, the hepatic artery and the portal vein.
  • The hepatic artery carries blood from the aorta to the liver, whereas the portal vein carries blood containing the digested nutrients from the entire gastrointestinal tract, and also from the spleen and pancreas to the liver.
  • Each lobule is made up of millions of hepatic cells that are the basic metabolic cells of the liver.

• The Liver

  • The liver is supplied by two main blood vessels on its right lobe: the hepatic artery and the portal vein.
  • The portal vein brings venous blood from the spleen, pancreas, and small intestine so that the liver can process the nutrients and byproducts of food digestion.

• Associated Organs

  • The liver is supplied by two main blood vessels on its right lobe: the hepatic artery and the portal vein.
  • The portal vein brings venous blood from the spleen, pancreas, and small intestine, so that the liver can process the nutrients and byproducts of food digestion.
  • The hepatic veins drain directly into the inferior vena cava.
  • These eventually drain into the right and left hepatic ducts, which in turn merge to form the common hepatic duct.
  • The cystic duct, from the gallbladder, joins with the common hepatic duct to form the common bile duct.

• The Portacaval Shunt

  • A connection is made between the portal vein, which supplies 75% of the liver's blood, and the inferior vena cava, the vein that drains blood from the lower two-thirds of the body.
  • The most common causes of liver disease resulting in portal hypertension are cirrhosis , caused by alcohol abuse, and viral hepatitis (hepatitis B and C).
  • Less common causes include diseases such as hemochromatosis, primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), and portal vein thrombosis.

• Hepatitis

  • Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver.
  • Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver.
  • Eventually, cirrhosis may lead to various complications, including esophageal varices, which are enlarged veins in the wall of the esophagus that can cause life-threatening bleeding; hepatic encephalopathy, which causes confusion and coma; and kidney dysfunction.
  • The most common cause of acute hepatitis is infection with the Hepatitis B, C, or D viruses.
  • In acute hepatitis caused by the hepatitis viruses, often, the liver inflammation will subside when the viral illness has subsided.