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Caudate lobe of liver: anatomy, location and function

The caudate lobe (Couinaud segment I) is a small liver lobe on the posterior surface between the inferior vena cava and the fissure for the ligamentum venosum. It is functionally autonomous, receiving portal and arterial supply from both the right and left branches and draining directly into the inferior vena cava through short hepatic veins.

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Highlighted in the model: Caudate lobe of liver. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Caudate lobe of liver at a glance

What it is
The caudate lobe (Couinaud segment I) is a small liver lobe on the posterior surface between the inferior vena cava and the fissure for the ligamentum venosum.
Location
It lies on the posterior surface of the liver. The inferior vena cava lies to its right, the fissure for the ligamentum venosum to its left, and the porta hepatis below.
Function
It is functionally autonomous, receiving portal and arterial supply from both the right and left branches and draining directly into the inferior vena cava through short hepatic veins.
Body system
Digestive · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA13365 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Its hepatic venous drainage bypasses the main hepatic veins.
  • Parts are the Spiegel lobe, paracaval portion, and caudate process.

Clinical relevance

Because it drains directly to the vena cava, it often enlarges in Budd-Chiari syndrome when the main hepatic veins are blocked.

Structures next to the caudate lobe of liver

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Caudate lobe of liver (FMA13365). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §23.1 Overview of the Digestive System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

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