What do the hepatic veins do to the liver longitudinally?

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Hepatic veins act as longitudinal boundaries that partition the liver into four sectors. The three main hepatic veins course along the liver’s posterior surface and drain into the IVC, forming vertical planes that separate parenchymal regions. This arrangement divides the liver longitudinally into four functional sectors: right anterior, right posterior, left medial, and left lateral. These planes reflect how blood from different portions of the liver drains via specific hepatic veins and provide important surgical landmarks. They do not expand or compress the liver; their role is to delineate compartments along the long axis.