External morphology of the hepatic Spiegel lobe

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine morphological variations of the Spiegel lobe in the indigenous Senegalese subject. This study  was carried out in the necropsy room of the pathological anatomy department of the Aristide Le Dantec University Hospital Centre in Dakar. It involved 39 livers of indigenous adult Senegalese subjects whose cause of death was neither liver disease nor liver trauma. On each liver collected, rinsed with water, we observed and photographed the external characteristics of Spiegel's lobe including its seat, its shape, the prominence of the caudate process, the presence or not of the papillary process, the presence of antero-posterior or transverse furrow. Spiegel's lobe was present on all livers studied. It sat exclusively at the visceral face in its retro-hilaire portion. The rectangular and ovoid shapes predateed 33.33% and 30.77% of cases, respectively. The papillary process was noticed on 15 lobes of Spiegel out of the 39 studied, or 38.46% of the cases. The caudate process was present in 32 cases or 82% of the cases. We noted the presence of furrows in the Spiegel lobe in 18 subjects or 46% of the cases. On one liver, we noted the simultaneous presence of two furrows on Spiegel's lobe. Of the 39 livers studied, we noticed two cases of Spiegel accessory lobe, representing 5% of the cases. These morphological variations are very useful in the diagnosis and surgery of Spiegel lobe tumors.