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In
human anatomy The human body is the structure of a human being. It is composed of many different types of cells that together create tissues and subsequently organ systems. They ensure homeostasis and the viability of the human body. It comprises a hea ...
, the Cantlie line or Cantlie's line is an imaginary division of the
liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it i ...
. The division divides the liver into two planes, extending from the middle
hepatic vein In human anatomy, the hepatic veins are the veins that drain venous blood from the liver into the inferior vena cava (as opposed to the hepatic portal vein which conveys blood from the gastrointestinal organs to the liver). There are usually thr ...
to the middle of the
gallbladder In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, although ...
. It is useful for performing hepatectomies.


Structure

The division divides the liver into two planes. It extends from the middle
hepatic vein In human anatomy, the hepatic veins are the veins that drain venous blood from the liver into the inferior vena cava (as opposed to the hepatic portal vein which conveys blood from the gastrointestinal organs to the liver). There are usually thr ...
(or the
inferior vena cava The inferior vena cava is a large vein that carries the deoxygenated blood from the lower and middle body into the right atrium of the heart. It is formed by the joining of the right and the left common iliac veins, usually at the level of th ...
) to the middle of the
gallbladder In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, although ...
. Using Couinaud's classification system, segments two, three, and both parts of four are on the left side of the division, while segments five, six, seven, and eight are on the right.


Clinical significance

Cantlie's line is useful when performing hepatectomies.


History

It was first described by Scottish surgeon James Cantlie in 1887 when he noticed a difference in the amount of
atrophy Atrophy is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body. Causes of atrophy include mutations (which can destroy the gene to build up the organ), poor nourishment, poor circulation, loss of hormonal support, loss of nerve supply ...
on both sides of this line of the liver while performing an
autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any d ...
. He concluded that the line dividing the atrophied segment from the hypertrophied segment must be the true midline of the liver. This opposed the more commonly accepted opinion that the umbilical fissure divided the liver. The
portal vein The portal vein or hepatic portal vein (HPV) is a blood vessel that carries blood from the gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder, pancreas and spleen to the liver. This blood contains nutrients and toxins extracted from digested contents. Approx ...
was already known to divide near the
porta hepatis The porta hepatis or transverse fissure of the liver is a short but deep fissure, about 5 cm long, extending transversely beneath the left portion of the right lobe of the liver, nearer its posterior surface than its anterior border. It join ...
, as described by Francis Glisson in ''Anatomia hepatis'', but Cantlie was the first to propose that the liver could be functionally divided into separate, distinct left and right halves. This was confirmed later in experiments done by Rous and Larimore in 1920 and by Schalm in 1956. Though this discovery was made in 1897, the first clinical portal vein occlusions did not occur until 1982.


References

{{Digestive glands Liver