• Close up view of the cut surface of the liver.

• The arrows point to a yellow tan, poorly circumscribed subcapsular lesion.

• There are some reddish tan areas within the lesion which may show preserved architecture on microscopic section.

•Blockage of intra-hepatic blood vessels by tumor or vasculitis can result in infarcts of the liver.

•Another important cause of hepatic infarcts is sickle cell disease.

•Blockage of arterial blood flow results in anoxic cell injury and the development of an infarct.

•Blockage of the portal vein does not usually result in an infarct because the portal artery continues to provide the liver cells with oxygen

•Liver infarcts are rare because of the dual blood supply.

•May present as pain the upper right quadrant.

•Blockage of the intrahepatic artery can result in typical wedge shaped pale infarcts.

•Occlusion of the portal vein does not result in an infarct because of the hepatic arterial blood supply.

•However, an area of mottled discoloration may be seen, referred to as an infarct of Zahn.

•Infarcts due to occlusion of the hepatic artery are characterized by coagulative necrosis of the liver cells, followed by infiltration by inflammatory cells, resorption of tissue and the development of a scar.

• Cotran RS, Kumar V, Robbins SL: Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. 5th ed. Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders, 1994, pp. 871

• Current literature from PubMed at National Library of Medicine