Sonographic differentiation between the umbilical portion of the left portal vein and intrahepatic bile ducts.
The method of differentiating between the portal vein and the bile ducts by means of their intrahepatic portions was studied. The left branch of the portal vein courses horizontally as the transverse portion, then veers anteriorly at an acute angle to make the umbilical portion. This characteristic form was demonstrated in all normal controls and 95% of the jaundiced patients studied. The left hepatic duct does not curve anteriorly at an acute angle, but branches off to the lateral segment running superior to the umbilical portion. This anatomic relationship and characteristic form of the umbilical portion were useful in differentiating the portal vein and the bile ducts.
D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D001659:Biliary Tract / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D007565:Jaundice / Q000175:diagnosis; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014463:Ultrasonography