Question:hard
This CT scan of the abdomen shows a structure branching into the liver. Identify the structure.
This CT scan of the abdomen shows a structure branching into the liver. Identify the structure.
Show Hint
The vessel entering the porta hepatis and dividing into the liver.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- SVC
- IVC
- Portal vein
- Splenic vein
Show Solution
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Trace the highlighted vessel on the CT. It reaches the hilum of the liver and then splits into right and left branches that fan into the hepatic parenchyma. The defining feature is this branching pattern at the porta hepatis.
Step 2: Only one vessel enters and divides within the liver this way - the portal vein. Formed behind the pancreatic neck by the union of the splenic and superior mesenteric veins, it ferries nutrient- and toxin-rich blood from the gut, spleen, gallbladder and pancreas to the liver, accounting for roughly three-quarters of hepatic inflow.
Step 3: Eliminate the others. The SVC is a thoracic vein draining the upper body, the IVC is a posterior vessel that returns blood to the right atrium rather than branching into liver tissue, and the splenic vein is only a tributary that helps form the portal vein. The intrahepatic branching vessel is therefore the portal vein.
\[\boxed{\text{Portal vein}}\]
Step 2: Only one vessel enters and divides within the liver this way - the portal vein. Formed behind the pancreatic neck by the union of the splenic and superior mesenteric veins, it ferries nutrient- and toxin-rich blood from the gut, spleen, gallbladder and pancreas to the liver, accounting for roughly three-quarters of hepatic inflow.
Step 3: Eliminate the others. The SVC is a thoracic vein draining the upper body, the IVC is a posterior vessel that returns blood to the right atrium rather than branching into liver tissue, and the splenic vein is only a tributary that helps form the portal vein. The intrahepatic branching vessel is therefore the portal vein.
\[\boxed{\text{Portal vein}}\]
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