Detailed morphological description of the liver and hepatic ligaments in the guinea pig (cavia porcellus)

The paper aimed to present the gross anatomy of liver and its ligaments in guinea pigs. The liver is located into intrathoracic part of abdominal cavity, having six separate lobes (right lateral, right medial, left lateral, left medial, caudate, and quadrate) but well connected one with each other. The falciform ligament which apparently divides the diaphragmatic surface of the liver in two territories –the right and left hepatic territories, was complete, being attached to the undersurface of the diaphragm and the dorsal surface of the abdominal wall at the level of the umbilicus. Its free edge contains the round ligament. The coronary ligament was well delineated being composed by an upper and a lower layer. Both the right and left triangular ligaments were present. The left triangular ligament was well developed connecting the left lateral lobe to the diaphragm. Cranial insertion of hepatorenal ligament was visualized on the ventral border of the caudate process, then run to the medial aspect of the right kidney, and to the descending loop of the duodenum. The liver is also attached to the stomach and to the duodenum by hepatogastric and hepatoduodenal ligament. A free edge of the hepatoduodenal ligament, whose cranial insertion was on the cystic duct, down along the common bile duct to be inserted on right lobe of pancreas, it was clearly visualized.