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The inferior vena cava is a large vein that carries the deoxygenated blood from the lower and middle body into the right atrium of the heart. It is formed by the joining of the right and the left common iliac veins, usually at the level of the fifth Lumbar vertebrae.
The inferior vena cava is the lower ("inferior") of the two venae cavae, the two large that carry deoxygenated blood from the body to the right atrium of the heart: the inferior vena cava carries blood from the lower half of the body whilst the superior vena cava carries blood from the upper half of the body. Together, the venae cavae (in addition to the coronary sinus, which carries blood from the muscle of the heart itself) form the venous counterparts of the aorta.
It is a large retroperitoneal vein that lies posterior to the abdominal cavity and runs along the right side of the vertebral column. It enters the right auricle at the lower right, back side of the heart. The name derives from .
The inferior vena cava begins as the left and right common iliac veins behind the abdomen unite, at about the level of lumbar vertebra. It passes through the thoracic diaphragm at the caval opening at the level of T8. It passes to the right of the descending aorta.
| [[hepatic veins]], inferior phrenic vein | |
| right [[suprarenal vein]], [[renal veins]] | |
| right [[gonadal vein]] | |
| [[lumbar veins]] | |
| common iliac veins |
Because the inferior vena cava is located to the right of the midline, drainage of the tributaries is not always symmetrical. On the right, the and drain into the inferior vena cava directly. On the left, they drain into the renal vein which in turn drains into the inferior vena cava. By contrast, all the lumbar veins and hepatic veins usually drain directly into the inferior vena cava.
The formation of the IVC is a complex process that can result in anomalies. These anomalies are more frequently observed in individuals with other cardiovascular defects. The most common variants are the duplicated IVC and left IVC. In a duplicated IVC, both supracardinal veins persist, a rare variant affecting 0.2–3% of the population. Most of these anatomical variations are asymptomatic, but their identification is crucial for the accurate planning of complex surgeries to avoid complications. Ultrasound (US) systems are typically used to identify these variations; however, other techniques such as computed tomography (CT), which involves ionizing radiation, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is more costly, are often preferred due to the user-dependent nature of US analysis.
In between 0.2% to 0.3% of people, the inferior vena cava may be duplicated beneath the level of the renal veins.
The corresponding vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper half of the body is the superior vena cava.
Blockage of the inferior vena cava is rare and is treated urgently as a life-threatening condition. It is associated with deep vein thrombosis, , liver transplantation and surgical procedures such as the insertion of a catheter in the femoral vein in the groin.Geehan DM, Inferior Vena Caval Thrombosis, emedicine.com, URL: http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2718.htm, Accessed: August 3, 2005. Trauma to the vena cava is usually fatal as unstoppable exsanguination occurs.
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