The ramification of the portal vein in the right hemiliver was studied by anatomic dissection in 36 formalin-fixed human livers. In 28/36 (77.8%) cases, the portal vein bifurcated into a right branch and a left branch and the right branch bifurcated into anterior and posterior segmental branches. The anterior segmental branch terminated in the anterosuperior subsegment (S₈) in two types: bifurcated when it divided into anterior P₈ and posterior P₈ branches towards the respective regions of S₈ (24/28 cases) and monopodal when it had a single pedicle (4/28 cases). The maximum anteroinferior subsegmental branch (P₅ maximum) originated either from the anterior segmental branch (16/28 cases) or from the anterior P₈ branch (12/28 cases). The posterior segmental branch vascularized the posteroinferior (S₆) and the posterosuperior (S₇) subsegments, and was terminated in three types: fan-shaped (16/28), bifurcated (9/28) and tripodal (3/28). In 4/36 (11.1%) cases the portal vein bifurcated into a right branch and a left branch but the posterior segmental branch was not present. In 4/36 (11.1%) the right branch of the portal vein was not present. These anatomical variations are explained separately and finally all cases are considered as a whole.

The use of hypertonic saline solution in patients with decompensated heart failure can be a safe therapeutic method and potentially related to clinical improvement and renal failure prevention.