Human Liver With Gall Bladder

Quick Answer: The human liver with gall bladder model represents the liver, the largest internal organ, together with the gall bladder attached to its underside. It is used to teach the lobes and surfaces of the liver, the structures entering at the porta hepatis, and how bile is made, stored and released.

Surfaces, Lobes and the Gall Bladder

The liver has a smooth, domed upper surface that sits under the diaphragm and a flatter visceral surface facing the stomach, intestine and right kidney. From the front, the falciform ligament marks the division between the large right lobe and the smaller left lobe. Turning the model over shows two further small lobes on the underside: the quadrate lobe beside the gall bladder and the caudate lobe near the inferior vena cava.

On the visceral surface is the porta hepatis, the doorway of the liver. Three main structures pass through it: the hepatic portal vein bringing nutrient-rich blood from the gut, the hepatic artery bringing oxygenated blood, and the hepatic ducts carrying bile out. The gall bladder, a pear-shaped sac with a fundus, body and neck, lies in a shallow fossa on the same surface and drains through the cystic duct.

The liver makes bile continuously; the gall bladder stores and concentrates it between meals. When fatty food enters the duodenum, the hormone cholecystokinin makes the gall bladder contract and release its bile. Whether this liver with gall bladder model shows the vessels and ducts at the porta hepatis in colour should be confirmed.

Applications

• Teaching the lobes, surfaces and ligaments of the liver
• Explaining the dual blood supply of the liver through the portal vein and hepatic artery
• Linking bile production and storage to fat digestion
• Nursing lessons on gallstones, cholecystitis and liver disease

Specifications

Care & Handling

• Hold the liver model from beneath; the gall bladder and vessel stumps are small and easily knocked.
• Wipe with a soft damp cloth and avoid solvents.
• Store it on a flat shelf so it rests on its underside or base as designed.

Why Choose LabEquip

Biology teachers and nursing tutors buy a liver model to cover an organ that diagrams usually show only from the front. LabEquip lists it in biology lab products, and the liver, pancreas and duodenum model continues the story along the bile ducts. Ask through the contact page about size and detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lobes does the liver have?

Anatomically four: the large right lobe, the smaller left lobe, and the quadrate and caudate lobes on the underside. Surgeons also divide the liver into functional segments based on its blood supply.

What passes through the porta hepatis?

The hepatic portal vein and the hepatic artery enter the liver there, and the right and left hepatic ducts leave it carrying bile. Lymph vessels and nerves also pass through.

Why does the liver have two blood supplies?

The hepatic artery brings oxygen-rich blood, while the hepatic portal vein brings blood from the gut loaded with absorbed nutrients, which the liver processes before it reaches the rest of the body.

Does the gall bladder make bile?

No. Bile is made by liver cells. The gall bladder stores and concentrates it between meals and releases it into the duodenum when fat arrives.

What triggers the gall bladder to empty?

Fat and protein entering the duodenum cause the release of the hormone cholecystokinin, which makes the gall bladder contract and the sphincter of Oddi relax.

Can people live without a gall bladder?

Yes. After removal, bile flows directly from the liver into the duodenum. Very fatty meals may be digested less comfortably, but most people adapt well.

Last Updated: September 2026