Liver segment VIII !
Liver segment VIII is the upper front part of the right liver, in the dome of the liver close to where the hepatic veins join the vena cava.
Official name: Posterior medial segment of liver
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What it is
Liver segment VIII: the upper front part of the right lobe, under the diaphragm.
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 anterior section, superior part; under right dome of diaphragm, beside middle and right hepatic veins
- Blood supply
- Right anterior portal pedicle; drains into middle and right hepatic veins
- Nerve
- Hepatic plexus (celiac sympathetic and vagal fibres) along its portal pedicle, shared with the whole liver
- Function
- Independent surgical unit; bile to right anterior sectoral duct; segments numbered clockwise I–VIII seen from the front
Relations
- Above
- Right dome of the diaphragm, with the base of the right lung above
- Medial
- Middle hepatic vein and liver segment IV (IVa), across Cantlie line
- Behind
- Right hepatic vein and liver segment VII
- Below
- Liver segment V, below the portal plane
How to find it
High under the right dome of the diaphragm, behind the lower anterior right ribs; in surgery it is the top of the right liver next to where the hepatic veins enter the inferior vena cava.
On imaging
On CT or MRI it lies above the portal plane between the middle and right hepatic veins, best seen at the level of the hepatic vein confluence. Dome lesions here are easily missed on subcostal ultrasound.
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
- Removing segment VIII alone, or the right anterior section, keeps segments VI–VII and spares more liver than a full right hepatectomy
- In right-lobe living-donor grafts, veins from segments V and VIII that drain to the middle hepatic vein are often reconstructed so the graft's anterior section does not congest
Related conditions
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which section does liver segment VIII form with segment V?
The right anterior section; the right anterior portal pedicle sends an upper branch to VIII and a lower one to V.
Why do lesions in liver segment VIII lie close to major veins?
It sits in the hepatic dome between the middle and right hepatic veins near their entry into the IVC.
What is the advantage of resecting liver segment VIII alone?
It keeps segments VI–VII and spares more liver than a full right hepatectomy.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- segmentum posterius mediale dextrum hepatis TA2 3077
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Segmento VIII del hígado DeCS D008099
- English (TA2)
- Posterior medial segment of liver
- Also called
- segment VIII 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.
