Terminology of Liver Anatomy and Resections: The Brisbane 2000 Terminology

Abstract

In December 1998, at its meeting in Berne, Switzerland, the Scientific Committee of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA) established a Terminology Committee to deal with the confusion in terminology of hepatic anatomy and liver resections. The impetus for doing so came from an article published in 1997, which challenged the existing terminology. After nearly 18 months of work, the recommendations of the committee were presented to the Scientific Committee at the biannual meeting of the IHPBA in Brisbane, Australia, in May, 2000. These recommendations, consisting of a new terminology, The Brisbane 2000 Terminology of Liver Anatomy and Resections, were unanimously accepted by the Scientific Committee of the IHPBA and were presented to the membership as the official terminology of the IHPBA. The recommendations were published in the official journal of the IHPBA in 2000, and it has recently been shown that they have been widely adopted throughout the world. The terminology shown is based on the universally accepted anatomy of the ramification of the hepatic artery and bile duct, which is coincident with the ramification of the portal vein as described by Goldsmith and Woodburne. Although a terminology based on the division of the portal vein according to Couinaud was added as an addendum in the original description, it is not presented here.

The terminology is presented as a set of five figures. The liver is divided into successive orders. The following notes serve as a guide to the figures.