What is the shape of the liver?

The liver is a very important organ in the human body. The main function of the liver is to break down substances in the body and then excrete toxins from the body. It is called a detoxification organ, which keeps the body clean and healthy at all times. The liver is an organ that grows very rapidly. As long as a part of the liver is maintained, it is possible for it to grow into a complete liver after a period of time. So what shape is the liver?

The liver is composed of hepatocytes, which are extremely small and cannot be seen with the naked eye. They must be seen under a microscope. There are about 2.5 billion hepatocytes in the human liver, and 5,000 hepatocytes make up one hepatic lobule, so the total number of hepatic lobules in the human liver is about 500,000. Hepatocytes are polygonal, with a diameter of about 20-30 microns and 6-8 faces. Their size varies under different physiological conditions. For example, the volume of hepatocytes increases when hungry. The surface of each hepatocyte can be divided into three types: the sinusoidal surface, the hepatocyte surface and the bile canaliculus surface.

The liver is an irregular wedge shape, blunt and thick on the right side and flat and narrow on the left side. It is fixed to the upper abdomen by ligaments and intra-abdominal pressure. Most of it is located in the right hypochondrium, and only a small part exceeds the anterior midline to reach the left hypochondrium.

The appearance can be divided into two sides: diaphragmatic side and visceral side. The diaphragmatic side is smooth and convex, most of which is attached to the diaphragm. There is a falciform ligament on its anterior superior side and a round ligament of the liver at the anterior inferior edge at the umbilical notch. The falciform ligament extends posteriorly and superiorly and stretches to the left and right, which is called the coronary ligament. The coronary ligament stretches to the left and right to form the left and right triangular ligaments. Between the anterior and posterior lobes of the right coronary ligament, there is a part of the liver surface that is not covered by peritoneum, which is called the bare liver area. The visceral surface of the medical education network has two longitudinal grooves and one transverse groove, forming an H shape.

The right longitudinal groove is composed of the gallbladder fossa and the vena cava fossa. Its posterior upper end is the place where the hepatic vein enters the inferior vena cava, which is the location of the second porta hepatis. Its posterior lower end is the place where the short hepatic veins merge into the inferior vena cava, which is the location of the third porta hepatis. The left longitudinal groove is composed of the umbilical vein fossa and the venous ligament. The transverse groove connects the two longitudinal grooves, which is the location of the first porta hepatis. It extends to the right side of the liver at the right end of the transverse groove. A single groove is often seen, called the right notch.

The above introduces the shape of the liver. The liver plays a very important role. We need to pay attention to protecting the liver in daily life. Many people have the habit of drinking, and they must drink in moderation. Drinking a lot of alcohol is very harmful to the human liver. Once the liver's detoxification function is damaged, the body will also be greatly affected. Therefore, you need to pay attention to maintaining good health in order to have a better life.