Hepatobiliary Lymphatics, Lateral View

Description

Oriented in a lateral projection of the right upper quadrant, the gallbladder lies inferior to the right lobe of the liver, with the cystic duct joining the common hepatic duct to form the common bile duct. Blue lymphatic vessels course along the gallbladder neck and cystic duct toward cystic (Lund) nodes, then continue medially and superiorly along the hepatoduodenal ligament to pericholedochal and hepatic nodes clustered around the portal triad. Deeper channels track posterior to the bile duct and portal vein toward retropancreatic and celiac lymph nodes, while more superficial collectors follow the peritoneal surface of the gallbladder fundus toward the hepatic margin. A lateral angle is the cleanest way to appreciate how lymph drainage parallels the biliary tree and the extrahepatic ductal anatomy that surgeons handle directly. Cholecystitis and gallbladder carcinoma both spread early to cystic and pericholedochal nodes, and involvement along the hepatoduodenal ligament can explain jaundice or unexpected nodal disease at the time of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This anatomy also underpins the operative concept of the cystic lymph node as a landmark near Calot’s triangle and a common site for inflammatory enlargement. Use this plate for teaching portal triad relationships in gross anatomy, hepatobiliary blocks, and surgical anatomy courses, or as a figure in manuscripts discussing gallbladder cancer staging, sentinel node pathways, and lymphadenectomy around the common bile duct and hepatic artery. It also fits radiology and pathology materials that correlate nodal stations with CT or MR findings in the porta hepatis and celiac region. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.