Liver segment VI !
Liver segment VI is the lowest, outermost part of the right liver, resting on the right kidney and the bend of the colon.
Official name: Anterior lateral segment of liver
Opens in the Durgical app, no sign-up needed.
What it is
Liver segment VI: the lower back part of the right lobe.
What it does
Because each segment has its own supply, surgeons can remove one or more segments and leave the rest working.
Key facts
- Where
- Right posterior section, inferior part; lateral and inferior right liver, near right kidney
- Blood supply
- Right posterior portal pedicle; drains into right hepatic vein (varies: also an inferior right hepatic vein to IVC)
- Nerve
- Hepatic plexus (celiac sympathetic and vagal fibres) along its portal pedicle, shared with the whole liver
- Function
- Independent surgical unit; bile to right posterior sectoral duct
Relations
- Above
- Liver segment VII, above the portal plane
- In front
- Liver segment V, across the plane of the right hepatic vein
- Behind
- Upper pole of the right kidney, across the hepatorenal pouch
- Below
- Hepatic flexure of the colon
How to find it
Behind the lower right ribs in the anterior and midaxillary lines, low on the right side; in surgery it is the lower outer corner of the right liver, lifted to reach the hepatorenal pouch.
On imaging
On CT or MRI it is the lower part of the liver behind the plane of the right hepatic vein; on ultrasound the right flank view shows it above the right kidney with Morison pouch between them.
Common problems
- Fatty liver disease, very common with obesity and diabetes.
- Hepatitis (viral, alcohol).
- Cirrhosis: scarring that can lead to liver failure and portal hypertension.
- Liver cancer and metastases.
How it is diagnosed
Blood tests (liver enzymes), ultrasound, elastography, CT or MRI, biopsy.
Treatment
- Treat the cause (weight loss, antiviral medicines, stopping alcohol); surgery to remove segments; liver transplant for failure.
Clinical notes
- When an inferior right hepatic vein drains it straight into the inferior vena cava, segments VII and VIII can be removed with the right hepatic vein while segment VI survives
- The lower right posterior liver is reached through the lower right intercostal spaces in the midaxillary line, the usual window for percutaneous biopsy and abscess drainage
- In blunt trauma to the lower right chest wall the posterior segments of the right liver (VI and VII) are among the most often torn, since they lie against the lower ribs and the spine
Anatomical variants
- Riedel lobe: a tongue-like downward extension of the right liver, usually from segment VI and more frequent in women, that can be felt as a right flank mass or mistaken for a large kidney
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which section of the liver does segment VI belong to?
The right posterior section, with liver segment VII, behind the plane of the right hepatic vein.
Which space does liver segment VI face, checked first in a trauma FAST scan?
The hepatorenal pouch (Morison pouch), between the liver and the right kidney.
When can liver segment VI survive removal of segments VII and VIII with the right hepatic vein?
When an inferior right hepatic vein drains segment VI straight into the IVC.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- segmentum anterius laterale dextrum hepatis TA2 3079
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Segmento VI del hígado DeCS D008099
- English (TA2)
- Anterior lateral segment of liver
- Also called
- segment VI of liver
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); DeCS; Diagnostic Imaging of the Liver; Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Liver; 23.6 Accessory Organs in Digestion: The Liver, Pancreas, and Gallbladder (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, CC BY 4.0.
Spotted a mistake?We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it.Report a mistake
Representative model, for educational purposes only.
