Question

The Hepatic portal vein is located between the
A. Hepatic vein and vena cava.
B. Small intestine and liver.
C. Mouth and the stomach.
D. Pancreas and small intestine.

Answer 1

Hint: In adults, the length of hepatic portal vein is about three inches or eight centimetres long. Hepatic portal vein is located in the upper right part of the human abdomen, which arises at the back of the pancreas neck. It is a part of the hepatic/venous portal system that directs blood from digestive tract to liver.

Complete answer:
A network of blood vessels called the hepatic portal system redirect blood from the small intestine to the liver. Blood entering the liver in this system arrives in the hepatic vein. After a meal, when blood from the small intestine enters the system loaded with nutrients, liver cells manage this entry in various ways.

The hepatic portal vein is a type of vein that transports blood from the organ of digestion to the liver. It is formed by the union of two large veins; one is the superior mesenteric vein and another is the splenic vein. The superior mesenteric vein receives blood from the small intestine and first part of the large intestine.

The splenic vein receives blood from the stomach, spleen and pancreas. The splenic vein also receives blood from the inferior mesenteric vein, which then drains the distal part of the large intestine. This unique venous arrangement is called the hepatic portal system that is present between the intestines and liver.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Mouth and stomach is connected by the long stretchable tube called oesophagus.
The pancreas that is present on the right side of the abdomen is connected to the duodenum (initial part of the small intestine) through a small tube-like structure called the pancreatic duct.
Hepatic vein is not a portal vein but a normal vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the liver into the inferior vena cava.