Background: Knowledge of the variant terminations of the portal vein (PV) is important in surgical and interventional radiological procedures of the liver. Their pattern and frequency are important in planning surgery to minimise complications. They differ between populations, but data from Africa is unavailable. The aim of the study is investigate the variant termination of the main PV. Materials and methods: Materials and methods: One hundred livers from adult black Kenyans (age range 35–79 years) were studied at the Department of Human Anatomy, University of Nairobi, Kenya by gross dissection. The livers were cleared of blood, fixed with 10% formaldehyde solution, and the venous system infused with acrylate monomers to keep the veins firm. The level of termination relative to the capsule and the branching pattern of the PV were examined. Various patterns were photographed using a digital camera. Data was analysed using SPSS version 16.0 for windows and presented in tables and macrographs. Results: Results: Portal vein termination was extracapsular in 14%, capsular in 40%, and intrahepatic in 46% of examined cases. Variant termination occurred in 49% of cases while conventional bifurcation occurred in 51% of cases. The level of termination of the PV had a positive correlation with its pattern (p = 0.05). Conclusions: The high p Conclusions: revalence of variant termination of PV in the current study suggests that the population is more vulnerable to inadvertent injury during surgery and radiological intervention. Moreover, an extra hepatic termination of the PV is more likely to have a conventional branching pattern compared to an intra-hepatic termination. (Folia Morphol 2013; 72, 1: 57–62)
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