Liver Anatomy

The human liver plays a tremendous role in your health. It is the largest organ in the human body by mass. The liver has several important jobs such as cleaning your blood, supporting blood clots, storing vitamins and minerals, producing bile and many more.

The liver is a pinkish-brown organ located in the upper right abdomen, just below the diaphragm and on top of the stomach, right kidney and intestines. The liver is divided into right and left lobes by the middle hepatic vein. The right lobe is six times larger than the left.

To complement your study of liver anatomy, our collection of anatomical charts and posters offers precise, detailed illustrations of the liver's structure, including its lobes, segments, and vascular supply. Whether you're a medical student, anatomy lecturer, or healthcare professional, these visual tools help simplify complex anatomical information, making revision and learning more effective.

Our charts are perfect for use in classrooms, clinics, or study spaces, and they serve as a helpful reference during teaching sessions or practical demonstrations.

The liver can also be broken down into eight segments by the Couinaud classification, each of which functions independently, with its own vascular flow and biliary drainage.

• Segment 1 is the caudate lobe, found upon the posterior surface of the right lobe.
• Segments 2 and 3 are located to the left of the falciform ligament and the left hepatic vein.
• Segment 4 is situated between the left and middle hepatic veins and is subdivided into superior and inferior segments.
• Segment 5 lies between the right and middle hepatic veins, below the portal plane.
• Segment 6 is also located beneath the portal plane, to the right of the right hepatic vein.
• Segment 7 is above the portal plane, to the right of the hepatic vein.
• Segment 8 is also located above the portal plane, between the middle and right hepatic veins.

The gallbladder is the small, hollow, pear-shaped organ that lies beneath the liver. It is responsible for storing the bile that helps break down fatty foods. However, you can live without a gallbladder as the liver is still able to make enough bile to digest food.

Our anatomy models provide a three-dimensional, hands-on way to explore the internal structure of the liver. These models clearly show the liver’s lobes, segments, bile ducts, gallbladder, and related vascular structures, making them ideal for both teaching and learning purposes.

They’re especially useful for anatomy students, tutors, and healthcare professionals who benefit from seeing and touching the organ in physical form - perfect for understanding spatial relationships and the organ’s role in digestion and circulation.

As mentioned before, the liver has several vital functions. To name a few:

• It excretes bile, which is needed for digestion and the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder.
• It regulates blood levels of amino acids and stores iron.
• It breaks down old or damaged blood cells.
• It regulates blood clotting through a system of plasma proteins called coagulation factors.

The blood supply comes from two sources: the hepatic artery proper and the hepatic portal vein. The hepatic artery proper is derived from the coeliac trunk. It branches into the right and left hepatic arteries from the common hepatic artery, supplying the right and left lobes of the liver.

The hepatic portal vein carries blood from the spleen and gastrointestinal tract to the liver.

Understanding anatomy can be far more effective with high quality visual tools. Our range of anatomical models, posters and revision guides allow students and professionals to deepen their understanding through visual and tactile learning. Whether you're preparing for an exam, teaching a class, or working in a clinical setting, our resources provide a practical and engaging way to study human anatomy.