Morphogenesis of an anomalous ligamentum venosum terminating in the superior left hepatic vein in a human liver.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to clarify the morphogenesis of an anomalous ligamentum venosum terminating in the trunk of the superior left hepatic vein, because the ligamentum venosum ordinarily terminates into the root of the left hepatic vein or directly into the inferior vena cava.


METHODS
We examined an anomalous ligamentum venosum found in the cadaveric liver of an 84-year-old Japanese woman.


RESULTS
The ligamentum venosum in this liver was not found in the usual course, the fissure for the ligamentum venosum. It lay on the posterior surface of the liver, connecting the left branch of the portal vein and the trunk of a small left hepatic vein. The small left hepatic vein draining the cranio-dorsal part of the lateral segment of the liver was revealed to be a superior left hepatic vein. This type of anomaly was found only in this 1 liver, among 125 cadaveric livers that were dissected.


CONCLUSIONS
Taking previous reports into consideration, the morphogenesis of the anomalous ligamentum venosum in the present case may be explained as being due to the persistence of the right half of the subdiaphragmatic anastomosis, which receives the blood from the ductus venosus in the embryonal period.
Kogure
Kimitaka
K
Department of General Surgical Science (Surgery I), Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22 Showamachi, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan.
Ishizaki
Masatoshi
M
Nemoto
Masaaki
M
Kuwano
Hiroyuki
H
Yorifuji
Hiroshi
H
Takata
Kuniaki
K
Ishikawa
Harunori
H
Makuuchi
Masatoshi
M
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006503:Hepatic Veins / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006801:Humans; D008022:Ligaments / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000196:embryology*; D009024:Morphogenesis