porta hepatis

anatomy

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

The porta hepatis is an anatomical structure on the inferior surface of the liver where major blood vessels and bile ducts enter and exit the organ. It is a groove that separates the quadrate and caudate lobes of the liver.1

The portal vein, which carries blood from the stomach, intestines, spleen, gallbladder, and pancreas, enters the liver at the porta hepatis. The hepatic artery, supplying oxygenated blood, also enters here. Bile ducts, which carry bile from the liver to the small intestine, exit at the porta hepatis.21

The portal vein is crucial as it directs nutrient-rich blood from the digestive organs to the liver for processing. If there are impediments to blood flow into the liver, such as from scarring in cirrhosis, it can lead to portal hypertension, an increase in pressure within the portal vein and its tributaries.23

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

human digestive system
Gross anatomy
…centrally placed groove called the porta hepatis, which anatomically separates the quadrate and caudate lobes. The liver has two sources of blood supply: fully oxygenated blood from the hepatic artery, which is a major branch of the celiac axis (the main artery that crosses the abdomen) after its emergence from…
Read More
…centrally placed groove called the porta hepatis, which anatomically separates the quadrate and caudate lobes. The liver has two sources of blood supply: fully oxygenated blood from the hepatic artery, which is a major branch of the celiac axis (the main artery that crosses the abdomen) after its emergence from…
Read More