The segments of the hepatic veins—is there a spatial correlation to the Couinaud liver segments?

Purpose: To investigate and describe the volume, position and shape of venous segments within the human liver and define their spatial correlation to the Couinaud segments (CS) and to the portal vein segments (PVS). Material and methods: This study was based on 64 routinely acquired CT scans of patients undergoing hepatic surgery. The final analysis included 19 patients. All 19 CT data sets were transformed into 3D liver models. Three venous segments were postulated reflecting the left, middle, and right hepatic vein. Each venous segment was furthermore divided in two venous subsegments. Volume, position and shape of these venous segments/subsegments were calculated and, finally, compared with the volume, position and shape of the Couinaud segments and the portal vein segments. Results: The right hepatic vein covers with 539.8±119.5 ml (47.1%) the largest part of total liver volume followed by the middle hepatic vein 372.7±151.1 ml (32.5%) and the left hepatic vein 248±75.9 ml (20.4%). The Couinaud liver segments and portal vein segments 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 have consistent positional assignments within the three venous segments. Only the CS 4a, 4b, and 6 showed significantly different positions compared to the PVS 4a, 4b, and 6 ( P