Which structure is a component of the portal triad?

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The portal triad at the porta hepatis is a bundled set of three structures traveling in the hepatoduodenal ligament: the hepatic artery proper, the portal vein, and a bile duct. The bile duct in this context is the common hepatic duct, which drains bile from the liver and is formed by the joining of the left and right hepatic ducts. It travels with the hepatic artery and portal vein within the triad. The cystic duct, which drains the gallbladder, joins this duct to form the common bile duct further downstream and is not considered part of the triad itself. The inferior vena cava is not located in the hepatoduodenal ligament and is not part of the portal triad.