What structure separates the right and left lobes of the liver?

What structure separates the right and left lobes of the liver?

• A. Cantlie line
• B. Main lobar fissure
• C. Falciform ligament
• D. Porta hepatis

Answer: (B)

The boundary between the right and left lobes is marked by the main lobar fissure. This is a deep groove on the visceral (inferior) surface of the liver that runs from the fossa for the gallbladder to the porta hepatis, providing a clear anatomical separation between the two lobes. The falciform ligament externally divides the lobes on the diaphragmatic surface, but it’s a surface landmark, not the internal boundary. The porta hepatis is the hepatic hilum where vessels and ducts enter and exit, not a dividing line. Cantlie line represents an imaginary plane used to separate functional right and left lobes based on vascular supply, rather than a physical structure. So, the main lobar fissure is the structure that truly separates the right and left lobes.

The boundary between the right and left lobes is marked by the main lobar fissure. This is a deep groove on the visceral (inferior) surface of the liver that runs from the fossa for the gallbladder to the porta hepatis, providing a clear anatomical separation between the two lobes. The falciform ligament externally divides the lobes on the diaphragmatic surface, but it’s a surface landmark, not the internal boundary. The porta hepatis is the hepatic hilum where vessels and ducts enter and exit, not a dividing line. Cantlie line represents an imaginary plane used to separate functional right and left lobes based on vascular supply, rather than a physical structure. So, the main lobar fissure is the structure that truly separates the right and left lobes.