The Liver


The liver is an organ located on the right side and slightly on the left side of the abdominal cavity beneath the ribs. It is the largest organ in the body. The liver functions as both a filter and a gland. Its role in the body is vital for life!

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It is believed that the liver has more than 500 functions. Some of the most important include:

  • Regulation of blood sugar (glucose levels)
  • Detoxification of the blood by transforming (metabolizing) toxic substances and medications
  • Breakdown of old red blood cells (decomposition of hemoglobin into bilirubin)
  • Production of urea, derived from amino acids and ammonia
  • Formation of numerous vital proteins, especially albumin and clotting factors

The liver also produces bile. Bile is a yellow-green fluid. It fills small channels called bile canaliculi, which then form larger channels that end in a single large duct: the bile duct (Ductus choledochus). Additionally, the liver has a kind of reservoir: the gallbladder. Bile, along with other substances, aids in the digestion of food. If bile cannot flow through the channels and reach the intestine, it accumulates in the liver, and part of it may enter the bloodstream, causing jaundice (yellowing of the skin).

Bile Duct
The bile duct originates from the liver (dark brown) and merges with the pancreatic duct before entering the duodenum (light brown). Also shown are the gallbladder (green) and stomach (red).

The liver also has a great regenerative capacity: A large part (up to half) can be removed, and it will regrow to compensate for the loss.

 

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Blood circulation in the liver is crucial. The portal vein collects blood from the intestines and spleen and delivers it to the liver. This provides the liver with the necessary blood and oxygen for the functions previously mentioned. The blood then circulates inside the liver and exits through the upper hepatic veins, which drain into the inferior vena cava and then into the heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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When the liver becomes fibrotic or cirrhotic, blood no longer flows efficiently through the liver and accumulates in the spleen, as well as in other veins of the intestines, stomach, and esophagus. This is called portal hypertension. The enlarged veins in the esophagus, known as esophageal varices, can, for example, bleed.