Hepatic grooves and portal segmentation.

The aim of the present study was to examine the topographical relationship between the locations of the grooves and the borders of Couinaud's portal segments. We found 79 grooves on the diaphragmatic surfaces of 50 livers from 420 cadavers. Most grooves were located within segment VIII wholly (31/79) or partially (39/79). By contrast, only 11 grooves corresponded to the border between two segments (segments VIII/IV in 6 cases and segments VIII/VII in 5 cases). Diaphragmatic indentations (fold-like protrusions) into the groove were observed in 1 case. Our results suggest that the grooves did not form during the early embryonic period when intrahepatic vessels and ducts ramify, but that they formed during a later stage of diaphragmatic growth after establishment of the basic segmental configuration of the liver. The grooves do not seem to be critical landmarks for segmental borders of the liver.