ABSTRACT
From a surgical standpoint, the liver and gallbladder of the pig have relatively few differences from those of humans (Figure 5.1 and Figure 5.2). The bile duct of the pig enters the duodenum 2-5 cm from the pylorus, separately from the pancreatic duct. The sizes of the bile duct and sphincter of Oddi are variable depending upon the size and breed of the pig (Table 5.1). The diameter of the bile duct seems to vary substantially even in the same size and breed of pig; however, it readily dilates when catheterized. Normal pressure in the common bile duct is usually less than 10 cm H
O. The liver contains six lobes: the left lateral, the left medial, the quadrate, the right medial, the
right lateral, and the caudate, which contains a caudate process partially surrounding the caudal vena cava. The gallbladder is located in a fossa formed by the left and right medial and quadrate lobes in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. The liver decreases as a percentage of body weight (BW) with age, from 3% at birth to 1.5% at sexual maturity in farm pigs (Yen, 2001). The segmental anatomy of the liver has been studied extensively and has been found to be very similar to that of the human, in terms of the vascularity and biliary tree (Court et al., 2003; Farinon et al., 1981).
