The intermediate branch of hepatic artery is one of the smaller arterial segments that provides blood supply to the internal structures of the liver. Normally there are three of these types of arterial branches present.
The human liver is an organ that has four lobes of varying sizes. This artery supplies the fourth lobe, which is called the left medial division or left medial segment.
The liver is a large organ in most vertebrates and therefore has a large demand for oxygen from the blood supply. The liver not only gets its demand for oxygen met by the hepatic arteries but also gets up to 50 percent of its oxygen from the hepatic portal vein. Normally we associate the veins of our bodies carrying away carbon dioxide and other waste gas products to be exhaled, but even venous blood still has a significant amount of residual oxygen.
The aorta feeds the celiac artery, which then branches off to the common hepatic artery. This then feeds the hepatic proper artery that normally branches into three segments, including the intermediate branch of hepatic artery.