The caudate lobe is a small lobe on the back of the liver, between the groove for the inferior vena cava and the fissure for the ligamentum venosum. It corresponds to Couinaud segment I. It receives blood from both the right and left portal and arterial branches and drains directly into the inferior vena cava through several small hepatic veins.
| Location | Posterior surface of the liver, between the inferior vena cava and the fissure for the ligamentum venosum, above the porta hepatis |
|---|---|
| Parts |
|
| Nerve Supply | Hepatic plexus from the coeliac plexus (sympathetic); Vagus nerve (parasympathetic) |
| Blood Supply | Branches of the right and left hepatic arteries |
| Venous drainage |
|
| Lymphatic drainage |
|
Performs normal liver functions; its independent venous drainage provides a reserve when the main hepatic veins are obstructed.
Because of its separate venous drainage, it is spared and often enlarges when the main hepatic veins are blocked (Budd-Chiari syndrome), and it also enlarges relative to the right lobe in cirrhosis. Its bile ducts drain into both hepatic ducts, so cancers at the hepatic duct confluence often need caudate lobe resection. It forms the upper boundary of the epiploic foramen.
Obstruction of hepatic venous outflow causing abdominal pain, ascites and liver enlargement, with characteristic caudate lobe enlargement.
Bile duct cancer at the hepatic duct confluence that spreads into caudate ducts, requiring caudate resection for cure.
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