The hepatocystic triangle (or Calot triangle) is a small triangular space at the porta hepatis of surgical importance as it is dissected during cholecystectomy. Its contents, the cystic artery and cystic duct, must be identified before ligation and division to avoid intraoperative injury.
Gross anatomy
Boundaries
In the generally accepted definition, the triangle has the following boundaries:
inferior: the cystic duct, which is often tortuous and has a beaded appearance, passes downward and to the left from the neck of the gallbladder to join the common duct
left: common hepatic duct
superior: the inferior surface of the liver
Contents
connective tissue
lymphatics
occasionally accessory hepatic ducts and arteries
History and etymology
This space was first described by the French surgeon, Jean-François Calot (1861–1944) 2 in 1891, as part of his PhD thesis. The triangle as described by Calot differs slightly from the modern description in that he described the superior border as the cystic artery rather than the surface of the liver 3.