Quick Facts
The fibrous capsule of liver is the connective tissue sheath that accompanies the vessels and ducts through the hepatic portal; it is continuous with the fibrous coat (Dorland, 2011).
Structure/Morphology
The liver is enclosed in a capsule of fibrous connective tissue (Glisson’s capsule). This becomes thicker at the hilum where the portal vein and hepatic artery enter and where the right and left hepatic ducts and lymph vessels exit.
This connective tissue is continuous as a perivascular connective tissue stroma that surrounds the portal triads as they course through the liver parenchyma.
Function
The perivascular fibrous capsule provides structural support to the hepatic vessels and their branches and assists in the structural organization of the portal triad.
List of Clinical Correlates
- Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome
References
Dorland, W. (2011) Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. 32nd edn. Philadelphia, USA: Elsevier Saunders.
