PATH3610 FINAL EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS
Where is the liver located? -- Answer ✔✔ In center of body, near
diaphragm and under ribs.
What is the liver composed of? -- Answer ✔✔ Hepatocytes in close
proximity to blood vessels and bile ducts.
Where does blood that enters liver come from, and how is it supplied?
-- Answer ✔✔ - 70% blood coming from liver comes from intestine via
portal vein
- blood is supplied from hepatic arterioles and portal vein
What does the blood entering the liver from the small intestine carry?
What is the exception? -- Answer ✔✔ Nutrients. The exception is fat,
which leaves the intestines via the lymphatic system.
Describe the basic histological arrangement of the liver. -- Answer ✔✔ -
multiple lobules in the shape of the hexagon
,- periphery of lobule has 3 portal triads, consisting of portal vein,
hepatic arteriole, bile ductule
- hepatocytes line up in cords by the endothelium of sinusoids (main
source of blood flow)
What makes up lining of liver sinusoids? What is the function of liver
sinusoids? -- Answer ✔✔ - function: main site of blood flow regulation in
the liver
- lined with: select group of cells including endothelial cells,
macrophages (particularly stellate macrophages), and hepatic stellate
cells
Describe blood flow in liver. -- Answer ✔✔ - blood flows from each
portal triad to center of lobule (terminal hepatic (central) vein)
- primary flow of blood from portal vein, through each sinusoid, into
terminal hepatic vein
- hepatic artery adds oxygenated blood to the sinusoid at the portal
triad. This blood changes oxygen tension as it moves through the
sinusoid
What is area with highest and lowest blood oxygen concentration in
liver? -- Answer ✔✔ - highest: around portal triad
- lowest: around terminal hepatic vein
What is the responsibility of the terminal hepatic vein? -- Answer ✔✔
drain blood away from lobule to the vena cava (which carries blood to
the heart)
,How does bile pass through the liver? -- Answer ✔✔ - flows in opposite
direction of blood, from centrilobular to the bile ductule
- flows in small passages called canaliculi
- canaliculi collect bile from individual hepatocytes, move it towards
portal triad, where bile passages enlarge and become common bile
duct.
What is gallbladder? -- Answer ✔✔ Responsible for storing bile. It is an
out pouching of the bile duct.
Functions of liver (5)? -- Answer ✔✔ 1. synthetic capacity (ability to
produce glucose, lipoproteins, urea, plasma proteins)
2. Catabolic functions including lipid and ketone breakdown
3. detoxification of many substances
4. secretory functions
5. excretory functions
What does liver have the ability to synthesize? -- Answer ✔✔ glucose,
lipoproteins, urea, plasma proteins
Where do substances excreted in the bile go? -- Answer ✔✔ The small
intestine.
, Describe the metabolism of haemoglobin. -- Answer ✔✔ - RBCs
removed on regular basis by macrophages
- macrophages break down RBCs and recycle components (like iron)
- waste products of hemoglobin converted to biliverdin and bilirubin
- bilirubin fat soluble, combined with albumen for transport to liver
- hepatocytes in liver take up bilirubin and conjugate it to water soluble
conjugated bilirubin
- this is transferred to bile for transport to intestine and elimination
Function of bile? -- Answer ✔✔ Emulsify fat - assists in fat degradation
and digestion
Clinical signs of liver failure and reasoning (3)? -- Answer ✔✔ Jaundice
(bilirubin buildup - could be prehepatic, hepatic, or post-hepatic),
increased bleeding (due to failure of production of blood coagulation
proteins), buildup of toxic compounds (such as ammonia)
Causes of jaundice and example of each (3)? -- Answer ✔✔ 1.
Prehepatic (haemolytic disease)
2. Hepatic (liver disease)
3. Post hepatic (obstruction of bile duct)
What type of cells are hepatocytes? -- Answer ✔✔ Stable cells that can
divide and undergo hyperplasia readily
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS
Where is the liver located? -- Answer ✔✔ In center of body, near
diaphragm and under ribs.
What is the liver composed of? -- Answer ✔✔ Hepatocytes in close
proximity to blood vessels and bile ducts.
Where does blood that enters liver come from, and how is it supplied?
-- Answer ✔✔ - 70% blood coming from liver comes from intestine via
portal vein
- blood is supplied from hepatic arterioles and portal vein
What does the blood entering the liver from the small intestine carry?
What is the exception? -- Answer ✔✔ Nutrients. The exception is fat,
which leaves the intestines via the lymphatic system.
Describe the basic histological arrangement of the liver. -- Answer ✔✔ -
multiple lobules in the shape of the hexagon
,- periphery of lobule has 3 portal triads, consisting of portal vein,
hepatic arteriole, bile ductule
- hepatocytes line up in cords by the endothelium of sinusoids (main
source of blood flow)
What makes up lining of liver sinusoids? What is the function of liver
sinusoids? -- Answer ✔✔ - function: main site of blood flow regulation in
the liver
- lined with: select group of cells including endothelial cells,
macrophages (particularly stellate macrophages), and hepatic stellate
cells
Describe blood flow in liver. -- Answer ✔✔ - blood flows from each
portal triad to center of lobule (terminal hepatic (central) vein)
- primary flow of blood from portal vein, through each sinusoid, into
terminal hepatic vein
- hepatic artery adds oxygenated blood to the sinusoid at the portal
triad. This blood changes oxygen tension as it moves through the
sinusoid
What is area with highest and lowest blood oxygen concentration in
liver? -- Answer ✔✔ - highest: around portal triad
- lowest: around terminal hepatic vein
What is the responsibility of the terminal hepatic vein? -- Answer ✔✔
drain blood away from lobule to the vena cava (which carries blood to
the heart)
,How does bile pass through the liver? -- Answer ✔✔ - flows in opposite
direction of blood, from centrilobular to the bile ductule
- flows in small passages called canaliculi
- canaliculi collect bile from individual hepatocytes, move it towards
portal triad, where bile passages enlarge and become common bile
duct.
What is gallbladder? -- Answer ✔✔ Responsible for storing bile. It is an
out pouching of the bile duct.
Functions of liver (5)? -- Answer ✔✔ 1. synthetic capacity (ability to
produce glucose, lipoproteins, urea, plasma proteins)
2. Catabolic functions including lipid and ketone breakdown
3. detoxification of many substances
4. secretory functions
5. excretory functions
What does liver have the ability to synthesize? -- Answer ✔✔ glucose,
lipoproteins, urea, plasma proteins
Where do substances excreted in the bile go? -- Answer ✔✔ The small
intestine.
, Describe the metabolism of haemoglobin. -- Answer ✔✔ - RBCs
removed on regular basis by macrophages
- macrophages break down RBCs and recycle components (like iron)
- waste products of hemoglobin converted to biliverdin and bilirubin
- bilirubin fat soluble, combined with albumen for transport to liver
- hepatocytes in liver take up bilirubin and conjugate it to water soluble
conjugated bilirubin
- this is transferred to bile for transport to intestine and elimination
Function of bile? -- Answer ✔✔ Emulsify fat - assists in fat degradation
and digestion
Clinical signs of liver failure and reasoning (3)? -- Answer ✔✔ Jaundice
(bilirubin buildup - could be prehepatic, hepatic, or post-hepatic),
increased bleeding (due to failure of production of blood coagulation
proteins), buildup of toxic compounds (such as ammonia)
Causes of jaundice and example of each (3)? -- Answer ✔✔ 1.
Prehepatic (haemolytic disease)
2. Hepatic (liver disease)
3. Post hepatic (obstruction of bile duct)
What type of cells are hepatocytes? -- Answer ✔✔ Stable cells that can
divide and undergo hyperplasia readily
