Anatomy of the liver and bile ducts from the reptile Kinosternon scorpioides

Abstract

Twenty livers of adult muçua were analyzed. The samples were obtained through an authorization of IBAMA (license nº 006/02, process nº 0220120011113/2002/81). The animals were anesthetized with xilazine (1mg/Kg/IM) and ketamine (20mg/Kg/IM). After muscular relaxation, they were sacrificed by means of an injection of sodium thiopental at 2.5% in the lethal doses of 60mg/Kg/IV). The coelomatic cavity was opened and the liver dissected with the aid of a magnifying glass. In all the animals the liver was quite voluminous, brown, rectangular in shape, extending through the whole medium portion of the coelomatic cavity, covering the pancreas, duodenum and stomach. External fissures divided the liver in 5 lobes: right lateral and median; square; left lateral and caudate with a papillae process. The liver is maintained in its anatomical position by the pressing of the coelomatic viscera as well as by the following ligaments: hepatogastric (connecting to the stomach); hepatoduodenopancreatic (connecting to the duodenum and pancreas); hepatopulmonar (connecting to the lung); hepatocoelomatic (connecting to the ventral portion of the coelomatic cavity) and hepatopericardic (connecting to the pericardial bursa). In regard to the bile ducts, it is observed that branches originated from the hepatic lobes pull together forming the main right and left ducts, which, together with the cystic duct derived from the gall bladder vesicle, originate the bile duct. According to these observations we concluded that the liver of the muçua is similar to the domestic mammals regarding the shape, number, characterization and bile draining of the hepatic lobe and differs from the ones of the related species such as salamander, snakes and other reptiles.