A New Insight into the Morphology of the Human Liver: A Cadaveric Study

Background. Day to day advances in the fields of radiology like sonography and CT need to revive interest in the cadaveric study of morphological features of liver, as the accessory fissures are a potential source of diagnostic errors. Accessory fissures vary from single to multiple over different parts of the liver. Aim. In the present study the morphological features of human liver specimens were evaluated by macroscopic examination and morphometric analysis. Methods. The study was conducted on 58 specimens obtained from cadavers utilized for routine dissection for medical undergraduates from the year 2004 to 2012 in the Anatomy Department of MIMS Medical College. Results. In the present study the livers as described in the established anatomical literature with normal surfaces, fissures, and borders were considered normal. Out of the 58 specimens, 24 were normal without any accessory fissures or lobes and with normal contours. Two specimens were with hypoplastic left lobes. Lingular process of left lobe was observed in only one specimen. Conclusions. Knowledge of the various accessory fissures of liver prevents misdiagnosis of cystic lesions or any pathological lesions of the liver. 1. Introduction Liver is the most massive of the viscera, occupying a substantial portion of abdominal cavity, that is, right hypochondrium and epigastrium, and extending into left hypochondrium as far as left lateral line [1]. It is a wedge shaped organ with its narrow end pointing towards left. It is convex in the front, to the right, above, and behind, and is somewhat concave inferiorly, where it is moulded to the shapes of the adjacent viscera [2]. Even though the surface is smoothly continuous, liver is customarily apportioned by anatomists into a larger right and a much smaller left lobe by the line of attachment of the falciform ligament anteriorly and the fissure for ligamentum teres and ligamentum venosum on inferior surface. In addition to the right and left lobes, there are two additional lobes, a quadrate lobe in the front and the caudate lobe behind, separated from each other by the porta hepatis (Figure 1). Figure 1: Shows the posterior and inferior surfaces of normal liver. Quadrate lobe visible on the inferior surface appears somewhat rectangular and is bounded in the front by the inferior border, on the left by fissure for ligamentum teres, behind by porta hepatis, and on the right by the fossa for the gall bladder (Figure 1). The caudate lobe is visible on the posterior surface, bounded on the left by fissure for ligamentum venosum, below by porta