Section 10. Liver and Gallbladder Disorders

Chapter 138. Blood Vessel Disorders of the Liver

Topics: Introduction | Abnormalities of the Hepatic Artery | Veno-occlusive Disease | Budd-Chiari Syndrome | Portal Vein Thrombosis | Blood Vessel Disorders Resulting From Other Diseases

Introduction

The liver receives three quarters of its blood supply from the portal vein, which carries nutrient-rich blood from the intestines. This blood carries digested food substances to the liver for processing. The liver receives the remaining quarter of its blood supply from the hepatic artery, which carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart.

See the figure Blood Supply of the Liver.

Blood leaves the liver through the hepatic veins. This blood is a mixture of blood from the hepatic artery and blood from the portal vein. The hepatic veins drain into the inferior vena cava--the largest vein in the body--which then empties into the heart.

With age, the overall flow of blood through the liver decreases. The decreased blood flow reduces the liver's ability to inactivate some drugs and to remove toxins from the blood.