THE BRANCHING PATTERN OF THE BILE DUCT AND HEPATIC ARTERY AS WELL AS THE PERIBILIARY VESSELS PLEXUS IN THE LIVER OF GUINEA PIGS / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

By using stereoscopic microscope and SEM,15 coloured replica casts of the bi-liary tract and hepatic arterial system in the liver of the guinea pigs were investi-gated.The liver of the guinea pig has 6 lobes.There are one bile duct and one hepaticartery which enter each lobe through its porta.In each lobe,both the bile duct andthe hepatic artery are divided repeatedly 6 to 10 times according to the size andshape of the lobe.These branches may be called the main branches.The averagedivergent angle of the main branches is 52.4??13.05(N=158).There are alsomany very small branches which arise from the main branches of all grades.Theoriginating angle of most side branches is about 90?.After investigating 110 peribiliary vessel plexuses of the guinea pigs,we foundthat they are of two different types:When the diameter of the bile duct is morethan 95～100 ?m,its peribiliary vessel plexus consists mainly of capillaries which arearranged as a reticulate sheath.When the diameter of the bile duct is less than 95～100 ?m,its peribiliary vessel plexus consists mainly of arterioles which appears asa longitudinal vessel plexus.From the origin and course of the longitudinal ves-sels,we can presume that the direction of the blood flow in the vessels is opposite tothat of the bile flow in the bile duct surrounded by the longitudinal vessels.Thelength of the longitudinal vessel plexuses is about 2,000～4,000 ?m.