Abdomen Sonography: Liver Vascular Pathologies and Abnormalities - Video Lesson

Hi everyone, welcome to another lesson in abdomen sonography. Today we are going to discuss vascular related pathologies and abnormalities of the liver. We will describe its normal vascular system and then discuss potential pathologic findings found in the hepatic and portal system. Let's get started. Let's begin with the normal liver's vascular patterns. The liver has a unique vascular supply and drainage system that sets it apart from most other organs. Three major vessels are important to recognize the portal vein, hepatic artery, and hepatic veins. On ultrasound, the portal vein normally shows hepatopetal flow, or toward the liver, with continuous low velocity monophasic waveforms. The hepatic artery demonstrates hepatopetal pulsatile flow with a low resistance pattern, reflecting its role in supplying most of the oxygenated blood to the liver. In contrast,