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Multiple Choice

What bounds the hepatorenal pouch?

The hepatorenal pouch (Morrison’s pouch) is the deepest peritoneal recess in the upper abdomen when you’re supine, formed between the liver and the right kidney. Its boundaries are defined by what sits against these two organs, with adjacent peritoneal reflections completing the margins. The liver forms the anterior/superior boundary, while the right kidney forms the posterior/inferior boundary. The nearby portions of the peritoneal cavity—the transverse colon (near the hepatic flexure) and the duodenum—lie against the margins and help define the lateral and inferior extents of this space. That combination—liver, kidney, colon, and duodenum—accurately captures the main structures that border the hepatorenal pouch. The other options include organs that do not form the primary boundaries of this recess.

The hepatorenal pouch (Morrison’s pouch) is the deepest peritoneal recess in the upper abdomen when you’re supine, formed between the liver and the right kidney. Its boundaries are defined by what sits against these two organs, with adjacent peritoneal reflections completing the margins. The liver forms the anterior/superior boundary, while the right kidney forms the posterior/inferior boundary. The nearby portions of the peritoneal cavity—the transverse colon (near the hepatic flexure) and the duodenum—lie against the margins and help define the lateral and inferior extents of this space. That combination—liver, kidney, colon, and duodenum—accurately captures the main structures that border the hepatorenal pouch. The other options include organs that do not form the primary boundaries of this recess.