Lobules of liver | |
---|---|
Details | |
System | Digestive system |
Location | Liver |
Identifiers | |
Latin | lobuli hepatis |
TA98 | A05.8.01.056 |
TA2 | 3060 |
FMA | 76488 |
Anatomical terms of microanatomy |
In histology (microscopic anatomy), the lobules of liver, or hepatic lobules, are small divisions of the liver defined at the microscopic scale. The hepatic lobule is a building block of the liver tissue, consisting of a portal triad, hepatocytes arranged in linear cords between a capillary network, and a central vein.
Lobules are different from the lobes of liver: they are the smaller divisions of the lobes. The two-dimensional microarchitecture of the liver can be viewed from different perspectives:[1]
Name | Shape | Model |
classical lobule[2] | hexagonal; divided into concentric centrilobular, midzonal, periportal parts | anatomical |
portal lobule[3] | triangular; centered on a portal triad | bile secretion |
acinus [4] | elliptical or diamond-shaped; divided into zone I (periportal), zone II (transition zone), and zone III (pericentral) | blood flow and metabolic |
The term "hepatic lobule", without qualification, typically refers to the classical lobule.