Figure 4. A closer examination of the portal tracts in chronic rejection shows that the bile ducts are missing. In this portal tract there are two branches of the hepatic artery(HA), but no bile duct. In a normal liver, bile ducts accompany hepatic artery branches in 80% or more of the portal tracts. They are usually located within the vicinity of the artery at a distance of three times the shortest diameter of the artery.