Pons hepatis : Report of two cases

The pons hepatis is defined as a prolongation of the hepatic substance bridged over the umbilical fissure between the quadrate and left lobes of the liver. The reported incidence of the pons hepatis is quite differ- ent (1-3). Although some anatomy textbooks neglect to define the pons hepatis, others (1, 4, 5) well document it. During routine dissection studies we encountered two unusual structures in the visceral surface of the liver (Fig. 1). Histological examination of these structures by hematoxylin-eosin staining and cytokeratin-19 immuno- histochemistry revealed that there were numerous ves- sels and bile ducts as seen in normal liver tissue contents. According to its direction and content, they were consid- ered as pons hepatis. In Case 1 (52-year-old male cadav- er), it was a string-like structure (1.8 cm in length and 0.35 cm in width). Additionally, a superficially located intrahepatic vessel and its branches were laid in the gall bladder's fossa (Fig. 1A). In Case 2 (47-year-old female cadaver), it was a bulky structure and divided by a single fissure into two parts (Fig. 1B). The quadrate and left lobes were appearing as united lobes covering the umbil- ical vein.