What gives portal triad vessels their hyperechoic walls?

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The bright, hyperechoic walls of the portal triad come from the surrounding fibrofatty tissue that encases the vessels—the Glisson’s capsule forming a fibrofatty sheath around the triad. Fat and collagen-rich connective tissue reflect ultrasound well, so the outline of the portal triad stands out as a bright rim on ultrasound. The hepatic veins aren’t responsible for that characteristic bright wall, and while Glisson’s capsule is the capsule of the liver, the key factor here is the fibrofatty sheath that surrounds the vessels.