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The renal veins in the renal circulation, are large-calibre that drain blood filtered by the kidney into the inferior vena cava. There is one renal vein draining each kidney. Each renal vein is formed by the convergence of the interlobar veins of one kidney.
Because the inferior vena cava is on the right half of the body, the left renal vein is longer than the right one.
Due to the right-ward displacement of the inferior vena cava from the midline, the left renal vein is some 3 times longer than the right one (~7.5 cm and ~2.5 cm, respectively).
The renal vein divides into 4 divisions upon entering the kidney:
Left renal vein
The left renal vein is situated posterior to the splenic vein, and the body of the pancreas. It passes through the angle formed by the abdominal aorta (situated posteriorly), and superior mesenteric artery (situated anteriorly) (increased acuteness of this angle may lead to the left renal vein being "pinched" between the two arteries, with the resulting compression impairng blood flow through the vein, a condition known as nutcracker syndrome). Occasionally, the left renal vein (or accessory left renal vein) passes posterior to the aorta.
Right renal vein
The right renal vein is situated posterior to the descending part of the duodenum.
In some individuals, the left renal vein passes posterior to the abdominal aorta instead of in anterior to it; this is termed a retro-aortic left renal vein (also known as "The Vein of Schnitker"). If there is both a vein passing in front of and one behind the aorta this is called a circumaortic renal vein. In the case of a left sided IVC and the right renal vein passes behind the abdominal aorta, this is termed a retroaortic right renal vein, which is also known as “The Reverse Vein of Schnitker”.
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