US Medical Term · anatomy
Hepatic Artery
Arteria hepática
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Hepatic Artery |
| Spanish (Español) | Arteria hepática |
| Chinese (中文) | 肝動脈 |
| Korean (한국어) | 간동맥 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Động mạch gan |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Hepatic na arterya |
| Portuguese (Português) | Artéria hepática |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | หลอดเลือดแดงตับ |
| Japanese (日本語) | 肝動脈 |
What it means
The hepatic artery is the blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood from the aorta — via the celiac artery — directly to the liver. The liver receives a dual blood supply: about twenty-five percent comes from the hepatic artery, and the remaining seventy-five percent comes from the portal vein carrying nutrient-rich blood from the digestive organs. The hepatic artery is critically important during liver transplant surgery and other hepatic procedures; surgeons must carefully preserve it so the donor liver receives adequate oxygen. When the hepatic artery is blocked — hepatic artery thrombosis — it is a serious complication, especially after liver transplant, because the bile ducts depend almost entirely on it for their blood supply.
How to say it
Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:
After the liver transplant, the main concern is making sure the hepatic artery stays open and flowing.
Después del trasplante de hígado, la principal preocupación es asegurarse de que la arteria hepática permanezca abierta y con flujo.
The Doppler ultrasound checks whether blood is flowing well through the hepatic artery to my liver.
El ultrasonido Doppler verifica si la sangre fluye bien a través de la arteria hepática hacia mi hígado.
I had a blockage in my hepatic artery and they treated it with a procedure to restore blood flow.
Tuve una obstrucción en la arteria hepática y la trataron con un procedimiento para restablecer el flujo sanguíneo.
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Sources
Last reviewed: September 2026