Liver segment VII !
Liver segment VII is the upper back part of the right liver, high under the right dome of the diaphragm and hidden behind the ribs.
Official name: Posterior lateral segment of liver
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What it is
Liver segment VII: the upper 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, superior part; posterior right liver under the diaphragm
- Blood supply
- Right posterior portal pedicle; drains into right hepatic vein
- 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
- Right dome of the diaphragm, with the right pleural recess and lung base above
- Behind
- Bare area against the diaphragm, with the right adrenal gland and the top of the right kidney nearby
- Medial
- Inferior vena cava, where the right hepatic vein enters it
- In front
- Liver segment VIII, across the plane of the right hepatic vein
- Below
- Liver segment VI
How to find it
Under the lower posterior right ribs, high and toward the back; in surgery it is reached only after dividing the right triangular and coronary ligaments and rotating the right liver toward the midline.
On imaging
On CT or MRI it is the upper posterior part of the right liver, behind the right hepatic vein and above the portal plane. On ultrasound it is often hidden under the ribs and lung and needs intercostal views with deep breathing.
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
- Amoebic abscesses and hydatid cysts favour the upper back of the right liver; from here they can break through the diaphragm into the pleura or lung
- A tumour here close to the right hepatic vein may need a right posterior sectionectomy or a right hepatectomy instead of a single-segment resection
Related conditions
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Where is liver segment VII?
The upper back part of the right liver, high under the right dome of the diaphragm, much of it on the bare area.
Which vein drains liver segment VII?
The right hepatic vein, close to its entry into the IVC; it separates the right posterior from the right anterior section.
Which lesions favour liver segment VII and what can they do?
Amoebic abscesses and hydatid cysts; from here they can break through the diaphragm into the pleura or lung.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- segmentum posterius laterale dextrum hepatis TA2 3080
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Segmento VII del hígado DeCS D008099
- English (TA2)
- Posterior lateral segment of liver
- Also called
- segment VII 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.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
