Abstract
The anatomic variations of the hepatic vein (HV) and portal vein (PV) in 42 healthy young volunteers (male 27, female 17; age 19 to 25 yrs, mean age 21.6 yrs) were analyzed using ultrasonography to clarify the patterns of ramification of HV and PV. The right hepatic vein (RHV), middle hepatic vein (MHV) and left hepatic vein (Lnv) drained independently into the inferior vena cava (IVC) in 23.8% of cases, but MHV and LHV formed a common trunk in 57.1%. RHV and MHV formed a common trunk in 11.9%. RHV drained into IVC slightly below the level that MHV and LHV drained into IVC. On PV branching, common type that the right anterior segmental (ASB) and posterior segmental branches (PSB) originated from the RPV after branching of the right portal vein (RPV) and left portal vein (LPV) irom main PV were 78.6% in cases. ASB, PSB and left PV were originated simultaneously from main PV trunk in 2.4%, and PSB originated from main PV trunk directly were originated in 19.0%. These anatomic variations in ramification patterns of HV and PV were important imaging findings to determine the location of hepatic mass lesion and to evaluate surgical procedures such as segmental or subsegmental hepatectomy and living related hepatic transplantation.
