Association between anatomic variations of extrahepatic and intrahepatic bile ducts: Do look up!

Biliary anatomic variations are usually asymptomatic, but they may cause problems in diagnostic investigations and interventional and surgical procedures, increasing both their technical difficulty and their postoperative complication rates. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of anatomic variations in the intrahepatic biliary ducts (IHBD) in relation to demographical and clinical characteristics in a large study population requiring magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) for various clinical conditions. The possible association between IHBD and extrahepatic biliary ducts (EHBD) variants was then explored. From January 2017 to May 2019, 1004 patients underwent MRCP. Demographical and clinical data were collected. IHBD and EHBD anatomy were recorded and the EHBD anatomy was classified using both qualitative and quantitative classifications. The presence of a type 3 EHBD variant (an abnormal proximal cystic duct [CD] insertion) in both qualitative and quantitative classifications and an intrapancreatic CD were associated with the presence of IHBD variants at univariate analysis (p = 0.008, p = 0.019, and p = 0.001, respectively). The presence of a posterior or medial insertion of the CD into the EHBD was a strong predictive factor of the presence of IHBD variants both at uni- and multivariate analysis (p = 0.002 and p = 0.003 for posterior insertion and p = 0.002 and p = 0.002 for medial insertion, respectively). The presence of gallstones on MRCP resulted in a strong predictor of the presence of an anatomical variant of the IHBD both at uni- and multivariate analysis (p = 0.027 and p = 0.046, respectively). In conclusion, the presence of a type 3 variant of the EHBD, an intrapancreatic CD and, especially, a posterior/medial CD insertion into the EHBD represent predictive factors of the concomitant presence of IHBD variants, thus radiologists must be vigilant when encountering these EHBD configurations and always remember to "look up" at the IHBD. Finally, the presence of an IHBD variant is a strong predictive factor of gallstones.

Couinaud Type A communicating accessory bile duct: report of a case.

BACKGROUND: Communicating accessory bile ducts are defined as ducts that communicate between major biliary channels but do not drain individual segments of the liver. The Couinaud Type A communicating accessory bile duct is a rare anomaly where an aberrant duct connects the right main hepatic duct to the common hepatic duct without segmental drainage. There are very few reports of this anomaly in the literature to date. CASE PRESENTATION: A 75-year-old male who died of ischemic heart disease donated his body for cadaveric dissection, which included careful attention to the anatomy of the hepatic hilum. During dissection, it was found that the right hepatic duct was duplicated and an accessory duct drained directly into the common hepatic duct. Although rare and difficult to visualize even with modern preoperative imaging techniques, sound knowledge of this rare anatomic variation is imperative to avoid inadvertent intraoperative biliary injuries which can lead to severe morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: An aberrant bile duct from the right hepatic duct to the common hepatic duct (Couinaud Type A) is an uncommon accessory bile duct that one must be aware of when performing complex hepatobiliary procedures such as right liver resection for living-related donation. Detailed preoperative imaging and careful dissection with anticipation of anomalous anatomy are of the utmost importance for the safe conduct of hepatic surgery.

[The new classifications of biliary tract diseases based on actual anatomy].

In order to facilitate the treatment strategies for biliary tract injury, hilar cholangiocarcinoma, bile duct tumor thrombus, cholangiocellular carcinoma and bile duct cystic dilatation, many classifications have been made, even more than 10 types for one disease. Each type is represented by numbers or English alphabet, which are not only confusing but also difficult to remember. The Academician Mengchao Wu divided the liver into five sections and four segments base on its anatomy, this classification is very direct and visual, thus had been using till now. In order to overcome those complicated problems, it is considered to develop a new classification based on actual anatomic location similar to that for liver cancer, which is easy to remember and to directly determine the treatment strategy. All kinds of classifications have their own characteristics and advantages and disadvantages. This practical classifications avoid the complexity and may be useful for clinicians.

Comparison of the Clinicopathologic Characteristics of Intraductal Papillary Neoplasm of the Bile Duct according to Morphological and Anatomical Classifications.

BACKGROUND: Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a recently defined entity and its clinical characteristics and classifications have yet to be established. We aimed to clarify the clinical features of IPNB and determine the optimal morphological classification criteria. METHODS: From 2003 to 2016, 112 patients with IPNB who underwent surgery were included in the analysis. After pathologic reexamination by a specialized biliary-pancreas pathologist, previously suggested morphological and anatomical classifications were compared using the clinicopathologic characteristics of IPNB. RESULTS: In terms of histologic subtypes, most patients had the intestinal type (n = 53; 48.6%) or pancreatobiliary type (n = 33; 30.3%). The simple "modified anatomical classification" showed that extrahepatic IPNB comprised more of the intestinal type and tended to be removed by bile duct resection or pancreatoduodenectomy. Intrahepatic IPNB had an equally high proportion of intestinal and pancreatobiliary types and tended to be removed by hepatobiliary resection. Morphologic classifications and histologic subtypes had no effect on survival, whereas a positive resection margin (75.9% vs. 25.7%; P = 0.004) and lymph node metastasis (75.3% vs. 30.0%; P = 0.091) were associated with a poor five-year overall survival rate. In the multivariate analysis, a positive resection margin and perineural invasion were important risk factors for survival. CONCLUSION: IPNB showed better long-term outcomes after optimal surgical resection. The "modified anatomical classification" is simple and intuitive and can help to select a treatment strategy and establish the proper scope of the operation.

Dynamic three-dimensional morphogenesis of intrahepatic bile ducts in mouse liver development.

UNLABELLED: During liver development, biliary epithelial cells differentiated from bipotential hepatic progenitor cells (hepatoblasts) form a cell layer, called the ductal plate surrounding portal veins (PVs), and develop into intrahepatic bile ducts (IBDs) following developmental programs. Because IBDs make duct structures in the liver, it is necessary to perform sequential and three-dimensional (3D) analyses from the early stages of liver development to address the process of morphogenesis in detail. However, to date, the development of IBDs has mainly been investigated using tissue sections in two-dimensional planes, and examinations of the 3D morphogenesis and quantitative analyses based on morphometrics have not been performed. Therefore, in this study, we simulated the solid structures of IBDs from mouse embryos to adults in silico, analyzed the subjects for the length and number of developing duct structures, number of predicted connections, and discrete distance from the PV, and examined the developmental process of the IBD in detail in a quantitative manner. CONCLUSIONS: Through quantitative analyses with spatiotemporal observations using a 3D structural reconstruction model and morphometrics, we succeeded in constructing a 3D dynamic model of bile duct formation. Because the 3D reconstruction technique used in this study is available for analyzing solid structures in tissues that are difficult to approach, it shows promise for wide use in the fields of biology and medicine.

Surgical and Radiological Studies on the Length of the Hepatic Ducts.

BACKGROUND: Right-sided hepatectomy is often selected for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, due to the anatomic consideration that "the left hepatic duct is longer than that of the right hepatic duct". However, only one study briefly mentioned the length of the hepatic ducts. Our aim is to investigate whether the consideration is correct. METHODS: In surgical study, the lengths of the resected bile duct were measured using pictures of the resected specimens in 475 hepatectomized patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. In radiological study, the estimated lengths of the bile duct to be resected were measured using cholangiograms reconstructed from computed tomography images in 61 patients with distal bile duct obstruction. RESULTS: In surgical study, the length of the resected left hepatic duct was 25.1 ± 6.4 mm in right trisectionectomy (n = 37) and 14.9 ± 5.7 mm in right hepatectomy (n = 167). The length of the right hepatic duct was 14.1 ± 5.7 mm in left hepatectomy (n = 149) and 21.3 ± 6.4 mm in left trisectionectomy (n = 122). In radiological study, the lengths of the bile duct corresponding to the surgical study were 34.1 ± 7.8, 22.4 ± 7.1, 20.8 ± 4.8, and 31.6 ± 5.3 mm, respectively. Both studies determined that the lengths of the resected bile ducts were (1) similar between right and left hepatectomies, (2) significantly shorter in right hepatectomy than in left trisectionectomy, and (3) the longest in right trisectionectomy. CONCLUSIONS: The aforementioned anatomical assumption is a surgeon's biased view. Based on our observations, a flexible procedure selection is recommended.

Anatomic variations of the intrahepatic bile ducts: analysis of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in 1011 consecutive patients.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency of anatomic variations of the hepatic duct bifurcation using magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). METHODS: A total of 1,160 consecutive patients, referred to our department for MRCP due to suspected pancreatobiliary disease or before liver transplantation, were reviewed retrospectively. A total of 149 patients with less than optimal results due to imaging limitations or secondary differentiations of bile duct anatomy were excluded from the study. The final study population was composed of 1,011 cases. RESULTS: Of the 1,160 patients, 149 were excluded from the analysis. Typical biliary anatomy was observed in 79.4% of cases, but female potential living liver donors more frequently presented an anatomic variation. Typical anatomy was present in 75.7% of the females and 85.3% of the males (p < 0.05). Out of the remaining 1,011 patients, 208 (20.57%) were diagnosed with different levels of various anatomic variations of the intra- and extrahepatic biliary ducts. Of the 208 cases with diagnosed variations, 204 (98.07%) and 4 (1.92%) turned out to have 1 and 2 different variations, respectively. The trifurcation variant was observed in 81 cases (8.01%), while 73 subjects (7.23%) had an aberrant right biliary duct draining into the common hepatic duct. A right dorsocaudal branch draining into the left hepatic duct was present in 42 cases (4.15%). Four cases (0.4%) had 2 different variations and 8 (0.8%) had uncommon anatomic variations. CONCLUSIONS: Typical intrahepatic biliary anatomy is present in about 80% of the inhabitants of the Aegean region of Turkey, but anatomic variants seem to be more frequent in females as compared to males. Trifurcation was the most common anatomic variation in our study population. The presence of an aberrant right hepatic duct emptying into the common hepatic duct was the second most common observation amongst our findings.

Anatomical study of the intrahepatic biliary ducts. Parameters that guide the surgical approach in transplanting the left lobe of the liver.

INTRODUCTION: The techniques of split liver transplantation and transplanting organs from living donors require a thorough anatomical knowledge of biliary drainage, and this is an important factor in preventing complications. METHODS: forty-five human livers were used to perform this study. Measurements were made between the confluence of the right hepatic duct (RHD) and the left hepatic duct (LHD) and among the following structures: the venous ligament, the vertex of the confluence of the duct of segment II (DSll) and the duct of segment III (DSIII), the insertion of the duct of the segment I (DSI) and the duct of segment IV (DSIV). Then the distance between the vertex of the confluence of DSII and DSIII and the ligamentum venosum was checked. RESULTS: The LHD had less anatomical variation than the RHD. Four drainage patterns were established for the left lobe, and pattern l, in which the confluence of DSll and DSIII is to the left of the ligamentum venosum, is considered to be the most constant one. A single duct of the confluence of DSll and DSIII was found 1, 2 and 2.5 cm to the right of the ligamentum venosum in 65%, 80%, and 95% of the cases, respectively. CONCLUSION: It was possible to show evidence of four drainage patterns of the left anatomical lobe of the liver. Furthermore, it was possible to establish the ligamentum venosum as an anatomical reference for locating the confluences of the ducts of the left liver segments.

Clinical significance of left trisectionectomy for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma: an appraisal and comparison with left hepatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To review our experiences with left-sided hepatectomy for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, to compare left hepatectomy with left trisectionectomy, and to evaluate the clinical significance of left trisectionectomy from the viewpoint of surgical oncology. BACKGROUND: Only 4 large case series have been reported on left trisectionectomy, with only a few patients diagnosed with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. Therefore, the oncologic advantage of left trisectionectomy compared with left hepatectomy for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is still unclear. METHODS: This study involved 201 patients who underwent left-sided hepatectomy for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (86 trisectionectomies and 115 hepatectomies). Surgical outcome and survival were compared between the 2 types of hepatectomy. The length of the resected right posterior bile duct was also measured. RESULTS: Patients who underwent trisectionectomy had more advanced tumors, thus requiring combined vascular and/or other organ resection. Operative time and blood loss were significantly greater in trisectionectomy than in hepatectomy; therefore, overall morbidity was significantly higher in the former (59.3% vs 33.0%, P < 0.001). Mortality was similar (1.2% vs 0.9%) in both techniques. The length of the resected supraportal right posterior bile duct was significantly longer in trisectionectomy than in hepatectomy (20.7 ± 6.4 vs 13.6 ± 5.2 mm, P < 0.001). However, there was no difference in length of the infraportal type right posterior bile duct. The percentage of negative radial and distal common bile duct margins was similar, but the percentage of negative right posterior bile duct margins was significantly higher in trisectionectomy than in hepatectomy (97.7% vs 89.6%, P = 0.027). Overall, R0 resection was achieved in 84.9% of patients with trisectionectomy and in 70.4% of patients with hepatectomy (P = 0.019). Survival rates were similar between patients with trisectionectomy and those with hepatectomy (36.8% vs 34.0% at 5-year), despite the fact that the former had more advanced disease. CONCLUSIONS: Left trisectionectomy for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, although technically demanding, can be performed with similar mortality rates as left hepatectomy. From an oncologic viewpoint, this operation can increase the number of negative proximal ductal margins, leading to a high proportion of R0 resection, and, in turn, to improved survival rates of patients with advanced left-sided perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

High resolution navigated three-dimensional T1-weighted hepatobiliary MRI using gadoxetic acid optimized for 1.5 Tesla.

PURPOSE: To determine optimal delay times and flip angles for T1-weighted hepatobiliary imaging at 1.5 Tesla (T) with gadoxetic acid and to demonstrate the feasibility of using a high-resolution navigated optimized T1-weighted pulse sequence to evaluate biliary disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight healthy volunteers were scanned at 1.5T using a T1-weighted three-dimensional (3D)-SPGR pulse sequence following the administration of 0.05 mmol/kg of gadoxetic acid. Navigator-gating enabled acquisition of high spatial resolution (1.2 × 1.4 × 1.8 mm(3) , interpolated to 0.7 × 0.7 × 0.9 mm(3) ) images in approximately 5 min of free-breathing. Multiple breath-held acquisitions were performed at flip angles between 15° and 45° to optimize T1 weighting. To evaluate the performance of this optimized sequence in the setting of biliary disease, the image quality and biliary excretion of 51 consecutive clinical scans performed to assess primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) were evaluated. RESULTS: Optimal hepatobiliary imaging occurs at 15-25 min, using a 40° flip angle. The image quality and visualization of biliary excretion in the PSC scans were excellent, despite the decreased liver function in some patients. Visualization of reduced excretion often provided diagnostic information that was unavailable by conventional magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). CONCLUSION: High-resolution navigated 3D-SPGR hepatobiliary imaging using gadoxetic acid and optimized scan parameters is technically feasible and can be clinically useful, even in patients with decreased hepatobiliary function.

First description of the surgical anatomy of the cynomolgus monkey liver.

No detailed description of nonhuman primate liver anatomy has been reported and little is known about the similarity between such livers and human liver. The cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) was used to establish a preclinical model of genetically modified hepatocytes auto transplantation. Here, we report information gleaned from careful observation and notes obtained from 59 female cynomolgus monkeys undergoing 44 anatomical hepatic resections, 12 main portal vein division dissections and selective branch ligations, and 46 portographies. Additionally, three anatomical liver dissections after total resection at autopsy were performed and served to confirm peroperative observations and for photography to provide illustrations. Our results indicate that the cynomolgus monkey liver has four lobes: the median (the largest), the right and left lateral, and the caudate lobes. In 60% (N=20) of individuals the portal bifurcates into right and left portal veins, in the remaining 40% (N=14) the portal vein trifurcates into right anterior, right posterior, and left portal veins. The anatomy and branching pattern of the hepatic artery and bile ducts closely follow those of the portal branches. Functionally, the cynomolgus monkey liver can be divided into eight independent segments. Thus, we report the first detailed description of the hepatic and portal surgical anatomy of the cynomolgus monkey. The cynomolgus monkey liver is more similar to the human liver than are livers of any small or large nonprimate mammals that have been described.

Hilar liver resection in dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To describe hepatic vasculobiliary anatomy important to hilar liver lobe resection in the dog. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. ANIMALS: Canine cadavers (n=7). METHODS: The vasculobiliary system of 7 fresh canine livers was injected with a polymer. The parenchyma was dissected at the level of the hilus to determine the vascular and biliary supply to each liver lobe, and then macerated with a corrosion preparation. The information gathered was used to describe a surgical approach for hilar liver lobe resection. RESULTS: Each liver lobe had a single hepatic artery and biliary duct. The location of these structures was consistent, although minor variations existed (dorsal versus ventral to the lobar portal vein) in the left lateral lobe and papillary process in 2 specimens. Most liver lobes (34/49) were supplied by 1 lobar portal vein and drained by 1 lobar hepatic vein (39/49). The location of the portal and hepatic veins was consistent among specimens. CONCLUSIONS: The left division is the most mobile of the liver lobes and each lobe can be removed separately or en bloc. Because of the location of the hepatic veins, the central division is best removed as a single unit. The right lateral lobe can be removed individually or together with the caudate process. The papillary process is removed by itself. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A hilar liver lobectomy technique can provide an alternative approach to conventional procedures for tumors that encroach upon the hilus of the liver.

[Anatomy problems in the radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical data, surgical strategies and results from the patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA), and to explore the anatomic factors related to the radical resection. METHODS: The data from 52 patients with HCCA who underwent radical resection between January 1984 to December 2008 were investigated retrospectively, which included clinical diagnosis, Bismuth-Corlette classification, pathologic features, surgical procedures and follow-up results. RESULTS: According to the Bismuth-Corlette classification, 5, 12, 6, 16 and 13 patients belonged to type I, II, IIIa, IIIb and IV respectively. There were 24 cases underwent combined hepatic lobectomy. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 78.8%, 36.4% and 12.1% respectively. Postoperative complications rate was 30.8% with the 3.8% mortality rate. The frequency of surgical complications was significantly higher in patients with higher level of serum total bilirubin (> 340 micromol/L) than that in patients with a relatively lower one (170 micromol/L) before operation (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Some anatomical factors should be considered during the radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma, especially evaluation of potential hepatectomy, resection of caudate lobe, hepatic artery resection and/or reconstruction. The prognosis of the patients underwent R(0) radial resection could be significantly improved.

Reference limits for hepatic bile duct-to-arteriole and bile duct-to-portal tract ratios in healthy cats.

OBJECTIVE To establish reference limits for hepatic bile duct-to-arteriole ratio (BD:A) and bile duct-to-portal tract ratio (BD:PT) in healthy cats and assess whether these parameters could be used to support a diagnosis of biliary ductopenia in cats. SAMPLE Hepatic biopsy samples from healthy cats (n = 20) and cats with ductopenia (2). PROCEDURES Hepatic biopsy samples from healthy cats were used to count the number of bile ducts and hepatic arterioles in 20 portal tracts for each cat. Mean BD:A and mean BD:PT for each cat were calculated, and these values were used to determine reference limits for mean BD:A and mean BD:PT. Results of histologic evaluation, including immunohistochemical staining in some instances, were compared for healthy cats versus cats with ductopenia. RESULTS Of the 400 portal tracts from healthy cats, 382 (95.5%) and 396 (99.0%) had BD:A and BD:PT, respectively, ≥ 1.0, with less variability in BD:A. Mean BD:A and BD:PT were markedly lower in both cats with ductopenia, compared with values for healthy cats. However, only mean BD:A for cats with ductopenia was below the reference limit of 0.59. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that systematic evaluation of BD:A, with a lower reference limit of 0.59 to define biliary ductopenia in cats, may be a discrete and easily applied morphometric tool to enhance detection of ductopenia in cats. However, application of this ratio required evaluation of ≥ 20 portal tracts with cross-sectioned portal elements to determine a mean BD:A value.

Anatomic variations in intrahepatic bile ducts in a north Indian population.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In the present study, we described the anatomical variations in the branching patterns of intrahepatic bile ducts (IHD) and determined the frequency of each variation in north Indian patients. There are no data from India. METHODS: The study group consisted of 253 consecutive patients (131 women) undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiograms for different indications. Anatomical variations in IHD were classified according to the branching pattern of the right anterior segmental duct (RASD) and the right posterior segmental duct (RPSD), presence or absence of first-order branch of left hepatic duct (LHD) and of an accessory hepatic duct. RESULTS: Anatomy of the IHD was typical in 52.9% of cases (n = 134), showing triple confluence in 11.46% (n = 29), anomalous drainage of the RPSD into the LHD in 18.2% (n = 46), anomalous drainage of the RPSD into the common hepatic duct (CHD) in 7.1% (n = 18), drainage of the right hepatic duct (RHD) into the cystic duct 0.4% (n = 1), presence of an accessory duct leading to the CHD or RHD in 4.7% (n = 12), individual drainage of the LHD into the RHD or CHD in 2.4% (n = 6), and unclassified or complex variations in 2.7% (n = 7). None had anomalous drainage of RPSD into the cystic duct. CONCLUSION: The branching pattern of IHD was atypical in 47% patients. The two most common variations were drainage of the RPSD into the LHD (18.2%) and triple confluence of the RASD, RPSD, and LHD (11.5%).

Observation of hepatohilar peribiliary vascular plexus with complete absence of hepatic artery blood supply in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the morphologic changes in the hepatohilar peribiliary vascular plexus (PVP) and the pathology of the bile duct walls after cessation of hepatic artery blood supply in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sprague-Dawley (SD) experimental mice were randomly divided into a control and a treatment group. The morphological structure of the hepatohilar PVP after cessation of blood supply was observed using ink perfusion transparency management with computerized 3 dimensional reconstruction. The inner layer of the PVP was analyzed quantitatively and pathological examination was performed on the bile duct wall. RESULTS: The treatment group showed disorder of the 3-dimensional hepatohilar PVP structure with a markedly reduced number of micrangium in the inner layer (P<.01). The number of arterioles in the inner layer of PVP also trended downward (P<.05) and there was chronic hyperplastic inflammation in each layer of the vascular wall. CONCLUSION: Without an arterial blood supply containing a high oxygen content, the morphologic structure of the PVP changes, producing consequent pathology in the bile duct wall.

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography of biliary system abnormalities in children.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) with a single-shot fast spin-echo sequence as a noninvasive method to evaluate the biliary system in children. METHODS: Twenty-five MRCP examinations of 23 patients were evaluated. On the basis of surgical (n=5), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (n=4), liver biopsy (n=4), clinical data, and follow-up observation, 6 children were considered to have no significant abnormality. The other 17 children were found to have pancreaticobiliary disease, including choledochal cyst, biliary system dilatation, choledocholithiasis, biliary atresia, multiseptated gallbladder, anomalous pancreaticobiliary union, ruptured hydatic cyst, and biloma. The findings were correlated with the ultrasonography, computed tomography, surgical, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography results. RESULTS: Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed the first branch of the intrahepatic duct, the common hepatic duct, the gallbladder, and the common bile duct in 14 children. Cystic duct was not seen in infants, but was partially visible in younger children. Although the main pancreatic duct was visible in head and body portions in 65% of the patients, it was visible in 17% of the patients in the tail. The diagnostic accuracy of MRCP was 100% in patients with choledochal cysts and stenoses. In a patient with hydatic cyst, cystobiliary communication was successfully demonstrated. CONCLUSION: Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography can be used effectively for the evaluation of the biliary system in children.

Postliver transplantation vascular and biliary surgical anatomy.

Imaging and management of postliver transplantation complications require an understanding of the surgical anatomy of liver transplantation. There are several methods of liver transplantation. Furthermore, liver transplantation is a complex surgery with numerous variables in its 4 anastomoses: (1) arterial anastomosis, (2) venous inflow (portal venous) anastomosis, (3) venous outflow (hepatic vein, inferior vena cava, or both) anastomosis, and (4) biliary/biliary-enteric anastomosis. The aim of this chapter is to introduce the principles of liver transplant surgical anatomy based on anastomotic anatomy. With radiologists as the target readers, the chapter focuses on the inflow and outflow connections and does not detail intricate surgical techniques or intraoperative maneuvers, operative stages, or vascular shunting.

[Anatomy of the liver: what you need to know]. / Anatomie du foie: ce qu'il faut savoir.

A precise knowledge of arterial, portal, hepatic and biliary anatomical variations is mandatory when a liver intervention is planned. However, only certain variations must be searched when a precise intervention is planned. The basic liver anatomy as well as the most relevant malformations will be precised.

[New possibilities to study biliary tree and gallbladder: functional magnetic resonance cholangiography contrast-enhanced with mangafodipir trisodium (Mn DPDP)]. / Les nouvelles possibilités d'exploration des voies biliaires en IRM: de l'imagerie morphologique à l'imagerie fonctionnelle avec perfusion de Mangafodipir Trisodium (Mn DPDP).

Mangafodipir trisodium (Teslascan) is a hepatobiliary contrast agent that provides noninvasive opacification of the bile ducts. Using this contrast medium combined with a T1-weighted gradient echo enhanced sequence provides functional imaging of the bile ducts. Second-intention MRI was obtained after the usual morphological study of the bile ducts using heavily T2-weighted sequences (SS-FSE Te eff long and SS FSE Te eff short). This method can detect many biliary duct anomalies: biliary leakage in the postoperative context, mapping of bile ducts and the gallbladder in the search for anatomical variants, analysis of biliodigestive or biliobiliary anastomoses, or a dynamic study of bile secretion and excretion. Opacification of the bile ducts has only been possible until now with invasive tests aggravated by a certain co-morbidity rate and their functional study using biliary scintigraphy limited by mediocre spatial resolution. This new possibility provides access not only to morphological imaging, but also to functional imaging with excellent spatial resolution.