Abdomen: caudate lobe venous drainage: practice question

A Anatomy question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Anatomy · Abdomen: caudate lobe venous drainage

Sample item

A 30-year-old woman on oral contraceptives has painful hepatomegaly and ascites. Doppler shows no flow in the main hepatic veins, and CT shows an enlarged, well-perfused caudate lobe. Why is the caudate lobe spared?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Its short hepatic veins drain directly into the inferior vena cava

In Budd-Chiari syndrome, thrombosis of the main hepatic veins causes congestion of most of the liver. The caudate lobe (segment I) has its own small veins that enter the IVC directly, so it is spared and hypertrophies as it compensates. It also receives portal supply from both left and right branches.

Option by option

  • A. Its short hepatic veins drain directly into the inferior vena cava (correct)

    Correct. Direct drainage into the IVC bypasses the blocked hepatic veins.

  • B. It drains through the left hepatic vein, which is spared

    The caudate lobe does not drain through the left hepatic vein, and in Budd-Chiari all three main veins are typically involved.

  • C. It is drained by the middle hepatic vein, which stays patent

    The middle hepatic vein is one of the main veins and is typically occluded, and it does not drain the caudate lobe.

  • D. It receives arterial blood only and has no portal supply

    The caudate lobe has both hepatic arterial and portal supply from the left and right branches.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Anatomy question

What is the answer to this Anatomy question?

The best answer is A, Its short hepatic veins drain directly into the inferior vena cava. In Budd-Chiari syndrome, thrombosis of the main hepatic veins causes congestion of most of the liver.

Why is "It drains through the left hepatic vein, which is spared" not the answer?

The caudate lobe does not drain through the left hepatic vein, and in Budd-Chiari all three main veins are typically involved.

Why is "It is drained by the middle hepatic vein, which stays patent" not the answer?

The middle hepatic vein is one of the main veins and is typically occluded, and it does not drain the caudate lobe.

Why is "It receives arterial blood only and has no portal supply" not the answer?

The caudate lobe has both hepatic arterial and portal supply from the left and right branches.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Abdomen: caudate lobe venous drainage in Anatomy. The caudate lobe (segment I) has its own small veins that enter the IVC directly, so it is spared and hypertrophies as it compensates. It also receives portal supply from both left and right branches.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Abdomen: caudate lobe venous drainage?

Learn every nerve by its route, its muscles and what a lesion looks like at the bedside. That one habit answers a large share of questions. Then use the flashcards and the other Anatomy questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.