Portal Space

Portal space (lat. spatium portale) is an anatomical area located at the entrance to the liver.

The portal space is a gap between the hepatic artery, portal vein and common bile duct. Through this area, blood vessels and bile ducts enter the liver parenchyma.

Portal space was first described by the French anatomist Antoine Portal in 1803, after whom it received its name. The study of the structure and functions of the space portal is of great clinical importance, since various pathological processes, including tumors, often develop in this area.