Canine intrahepatic vasculature: is a functional anatomic model relevant to the dog?

OBJECTIVE

To clarify canine intrahepatic portal and hepatic venous system anatomy using corrosion casting and advanced imaging and to devise a novel functional anatomic model of the canine liver to investigate whether this could help guide the planning and surgical procedure of partial hepatic lobectomy and interventional radiological procedures.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective experimental study.

ANIMALS

Adult Greyhound cadavers (n = 8).

METHODS

Portal and hepatic vein corrosion casts of healthy livers were assessed using computed tomography (CT).

RESULTS

The hepatic lobes have a consistent hilar hepatic and portal vein supply with some variation in the number of intrahepatic branches. For all specimens, 3 surgically resectable areas were identified in the left lateral lobe and 2 surgically resectable areas were identified in the right medial lobe as defined by a functional anatomic model.

CONCLUSIONS

CT of detailed acrylic casts allowed complex intrahepatic vascular relationships to be investigated and compared with previous studies. Improving understanding of the intrahepatic vascular supply facilitates interpretation of advanced images in clinical patients, the planning and performance of surgical procedures, and may facilitate interventional vascular procedures, such as intravenous embolization of portosystemic shunts. Functional division of the canine liver similar to human models is possible. The left lateral and right medial lobes can be consistently divided into surgically resectable functional areas and partial lobectomies can be performed following a functional model; further study in clinically affected animals would be required to investigate the relevance of this functional model in the dog.