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Three‐dimensional reconstruction of parenchymal units in the liver of the rat
Author(s) -
Teutsch Harald F.,
Schuerfeld Dirk,
Groezinger Elke
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.510290243
Subject(s) - parenchyma , medicine , pathology
To investigate the parenchymal units in the liver of the rat three‐dimensionally, 15 μm cryosections were used for the demonstration of glucose‐6‐phosphatase (G6Pase) activity to visualize the borders of the individual units. Together with the supplying and draining vessels, they were traced through a sequence of 146 sections and reconstructed. A cone‐shaped secondary unit with a height of 2.1 mm and a volume of 3.3 mm 3 was reconstructed. It was “covered” by a continuous vascular surface, consisting of portal tracts and vascular septa, connecting the portal venular branches. The secondary unit was subdivided by portal tracts and vascular septa, and by branches of a draining central venular tree into 14 primary units. Most of them were tri‐ to heptahedral in shape. The height varied between 330 and 840 μm, and the volume varied between 0.094 and 0.621 mm 3 . The branches of the portal venular tree, with diameters from 28 ± 5 μm to 61 ± 14 μm, were oriented preferentially along the vertical axis of the units. Most of the primary units were drained by single branches of the central venular tree, located in the center and oriented along the vertical axis of the units. Vessel diameters ranged from 62 ± 14 μm to 216 ± 9 μm. The average length of the sinusoids was 355 ± 3 μm. From the results of this reconstruction study, it was concluded that the concept of the liver acinus cannot be applied to the liver of the rat