Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Feb 1:25:920-927.
doi: 10.12659/MSM.911726.

3D Reconstruction and Evaluation of Accessory Hepatic Veins in Right Hemilivers in Laboratory Animals by Metrotomography: Implications for Surgery

Lenka Kresakova  1 , Jan Danko  1 , Zuzana Andrejcakova  1 , Eva Petrovova  1 , Katarina Vdoviakova  1 , Dasa Cizkova  1 , Marcela Maloveska  1 , Teodor Toth  2 , Marek Tomco  3 , Andrej Vrzgula  4 , Jana Teleky  1 , Peter Supuka  5
Affiliations

3D Reconstruction and Evaluation of Accessory Hepatic Veins in Right Hemilivers in Laboratory Animals by Metrotomography: Implications for Surgery

Lenka Kresakova et al. Med Sci Monit. .

Abstract

BACKGROUND The current study investigated the detection of accessory hepatic veins and their vascular territories in the right hemiliver in rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits, which has become a prerequisite for newly developed clinical procedures. We compared the anatomical continuity of accessory hepatic veins with accessory hepatic veins existing in human livers. MATERIAL AND METHODS The analysis of accessory hepatic veins was performed using a corrosion cast method in combination with computer tomography (CT). RESULTS In normal livers, accessory hepatic veins were regularly found. The length of these veins was 0.88±0.29 (cm ±SD) in rats, 1.10±0.39 in guinea pigs, and 1.28±0.48 in rabbits. Accessory hepatic veins became a part of the draining vessel draining into segment VI and VII; represented by interpolating and following Chouinard's segmental concept. CONCLUSIONS The importance of detecting accessory hepatic veins lies in the identification of structures requiring special attention during surgery, in reduction of surgical complications, and in choosing the best approach to maintain the vitality of a drainage segment. The vascular reconstruction should be done during surgical interventions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Veins of right hemiliver in a laboratory rat (A), guinea pig (B), and rabbit (C). Corrosion cast, ventral view, RHV – right hepatic vein; SRHV – superior right hepatic vein; IRHV – inferior right hepatic vein; AHV – accessory hepatic veins; VC – caudal vena cava.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Arrangement and measurement of proper hepatic veins and accessory hepatic veins by using metrotomography in rats (A) and rabbits (B). CT scans; veins are viewed from the lateral side. RHV – right hepatic vein; SRHV – superior right hepatic vein; IRHV – inferior right hepatic vein; AHV – accessory hepatic veins; VC – caudal vena cava.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The frequency of occurrence and length of accessory hepatic veins in selected laboratory animals. Occurrence was determined by the number of cases within 1 liver. The maximum number of accessory hepatic veins in 1 liver was 5 for rats and rabbits and 3 for guinea pigs. The longest measured length of accessory hepatic veins was 1.4 cm for rats, 1.7 cm for guinea pigs, and 2 cm for rabbits.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of incidence of accessory hepatic veins between laboratory rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits. The occurrence is identified with the number of cases within 1 liver. There was a dominant presence of 1 or 2 accessory hepatic veins in all laboratory animals.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Comparison of the length of accessory hepatic veins among laboratory rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits. The length of accessory hepatic veins (mean ±SD) was 0.88±0.29 in rats, 1.28±0.48 in rabbits, and 1.10±0.39 in guinea pigs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Peng Y, Gong J, Yan L, et al. Improved two-cuff technique for orthotopic liver transplantation in rat. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int. 2004;3:33–37. - PubMed
    1. Peng SY, Liu YB, Xu B, et al. Role and significance of extra hepatic control of hepatic vein and inferior vena cava in difficult hepatectomies for patients with liver tumors. Chin J Surg. 2004;42:260–64. - PubMed
    1. Qiao J, Han CH, Zhang J, et al. A new rat model of auxiliary partial heterotopic liver transplantation with liver dual arterial blood supply. Exp Ther Med. 2015;9:367–71. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wu S, Xu Y, Yin T, et al. Fabrication and data harvesting of casting sample of rat liver blood vessels. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int. 2005;4:582–84. - PubMed
    1. Buhe S, Miyaki T, Saito T, et al. A study of the accessory hepatic vein to segments VI and VII with morphological reconsideration of the human liver. Surg Radiol Anat. 2008;30:201–7. - PubMed