THE LIVER 233 



of the umbilical vein in the foetus (p. 115). The corre- 

 sponding umbilical notch is less conspicuous than in man 

 because of the highly lobulated condition of the whole 

 organ in the rabbit. 



(c) The coronary ligament (lig. coronarium hepatis), a short 

 circular fold like a short section of a hollow cylinder, con- 

 tinuous wdth the dorsal extremity of the falciform, and 

 connecting the anterior surface of the liver with the middle 

 of the diaphragm. \Mthin this the inferior vena cava 

 reaches and pierces the diaphragm. 



(d) The left triangular ligament (lig. triangulare sinistrum), a 

 lateral continuation of the coronary connecting the left 

 lobe with the diaphragm. 



In occasional individuals a smaller right triangular ligament also occurs. 



3. Trace the branches of the common bile duct, the hepatic artery, 

 and the portal vein. These structures traverse the lesser omen- 

 tum side by side and their branches are similarly arranged. 



(a) The common bile duct (d. choledochus) is formed on the 

 posterior surface of the liver by the union of a left hepatic 

 duct (d. hepaticus) with a similar duct from the right 

 anterior lobule (Fig. 49). The latter receives the cystic duct 

 (d. cysticus) from the gall bladder. A duct from the quadrate 

 lobe may join the left hepatic duct. Special ducts from the 

 right posterior lobule and from the caudate lobe enter the 

 common bile duct through a short common trunk and an 

 additional duct from the anterior part of the caudate lobe 

 may enter the common bile duct directly. The ducts from 

 the caudate lobe run dorsal to the portal vein. The 

 common bile duct passes backward on the right side of the 

 portal vein and enters the digestive tube on the dorsal 

 surface of the first (superior) portion of the duodenum 

 immediately beyond the pylorus. 



(b) The hepatic artery (a. hepatica) approaches the liver by 

 passing forward on the right side of the portal vein ventral 

 to the bile duct. It distributes branches to the right 

 posterior lobule, usually two in number, and from one of 

 these a secondary branch crosses obliquely dorsal to the 

 portal vein and enters the caudate lobe. At the common 



