WEEK 19 - Liver, Gallbladder, Biliary Ductal System, Pancreas, and Spleen Flashcards

Flashcards about the liver, gallbladder, biliary ductal system, pancreas, and spleen.

Where is the liver located?

It is an intraperitoneal organ primarily in the Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ), with some extension into the Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ).

What structures border the liver superiorly?

The diaphragm.

What structures border the liver anteriorly?

The diaphragm and abdominal wall.

What structures are posterior to the liver?

The diaphragm, inferior vena cava (IVC), and aorta.

What structures are inferior to the liver?

Right kidney, duodenum, hepatic flexure, gallbladder, and stomach.

What does the falciform ligament do?

It separates the right and left lobes of the liver and attaches to the anterior abdominal wall and diaphragm.

Name the four lobes of the liver.

Right and left lobes (major), caudate and quadrate lobes (minor).

What separates the quadrate and caudate lobes from the left lobe of the liver?

The ligamentum teres and ligamentum venosum.

What kind of blood does the hepatic artery supply to the liver?

Oxygenated blood from the aorta.

What kind of blood does the portal vein supply to the liver?

Deoxygenated blood from the GI organs, pancreas, and spleen.

What forms the portal vein?

The splenic vein and the superior mesenteric vein (SMV).

List at least 4 functions of the liver.

Produces bile, detoxifies blood, metabolizes substances, produces plasma proteins like albumin, breaks down RBCs, produces hormones, stores/absorbs vitamins, and produces anticoagulants like heparin.

Where is the gallbladder located?

On the inferior surface of the liver, anterior to the mid-coronal plane.

Is the gallbladder intraperitoneal or retroperitoneal?

Intraperitoneal.

What is the function of the gallbladder?

To store and concentrate bile produced by the liver.

How much bile can the gallbladder hold?

30–40 mL.

What shape does a full gallbladder take?

Pear-shaped.

What are the three parts of the gallbladder?

Fundus (rounded end), body (middle), and neck (S-shaped).

In which direction does the cystic duct travel as it leaves the gallbladder?

Posteriorly.

What ducts drain bile from the liver initially?

Intrahepatic ducts drain into the right and left hepatic ducts.

What forms the common hepatic duct?

The right and left hepatic ducts.

What duct connects the gallbladder to the common hepatic duct?

The cystic duct.

What forms the common bile duct (CBD)?

The merger of the cystic duct and the common hepatic duct.

What does the pancreatic duct join to form the hepatopancreatic ampulla?

It joins the common bile duct (CBD).

What controls bile flow into the duodenum?

The sphincter of ampulla (sphincter of Oddi).

Is the pancreas retroperitoneal or intraperitoneal?

Retroperitoneal, except for the tail.

Name the four parts of the pancreas.

Head, neck, body, tail.

What does the head of the pancreas cradle and what is it anterior to?

It cradles the duodenum and lies anterior to the bile duct, IVC, and aorta.

Where is the neck of the pancreas located?

Anterior to the mesenteric vessels.

Where does the tail of the pancreas extend?

Laterally toward the spleen and anterior to the kidney.

How does the pancreas drain digestive enzymes?

Through the pancreatic duct into the common bile duct at the hepatopancreatic ampulla.

What are the two main functions of the pancreas?

Produces digestive enzymes and hormones that regulate blood sugar.

At what vertebral level does the pancreas lie?

Horizontally from duodenum to spleen, around L1–L2.

Is the spleen intraperitoneal or retroperitoneal?

Intraperitoneal.

Where is the spleen located?

In the Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ).

What are the functions of the spleen?

Cleans and filters blood, destroys old RBCs and pathogens, and stores/releases platelets during bleeding.

What borders the spleen anteriorly?

The stomach.

What lies laterally to the spleen?

The abdominal wall.

What structures are medial to the spleen?

The left adrenal gland and left kidney.

What is located inferior to the spleen?

The splenic flexure of the colon.