Left branch of the hepatic portal vein. Study on corrosion casts

Abstract

Left branch (LBr) of the hepatic portal vein (HPV) gives rise by the forking of the HPV together with the right branch. Accordingly to Terminologia Anatomica (1998), from the transverse part of LBr originate the caudate branches, and from the omblical portion – the lateral and medial branches. On a studied material represented by 150 hepatic corrosion casts one analyzed the variability of origin and the branches which originate from LBr. The corrosion casts were realized by injection of the hepatic vasculo‐ductal systems with plastic mass, followed by the corrosion of the hepatic parenchyma. I revealed 4 modalities of origin of LBr, the modal type beeing pointed out in 96% of the cases. In 90.67% of the cases I revealed 2 lateral branches, and in 9.33% of the cases ‐ 3 lateral branches. In 84.67% of the cases the medial branches are multiple and with reduced sizes. In 10% of the cases I observed 2 medial multiple branches, and in 5% ‐ 3 medial distinctive branches were pointed out. From the transverse part of the LBr originated 75.39% from the caudate branches of HPV. The number of caudate branches of HPV with the origin in LBr varied between 1 and 3 and were destinated to the papillary process and to the paracaval portion of the caudate lobe. These morphological data are very useful when performing reglated hepatic resections. (Supported by Grant CNMP 41092/2007).