Inferior Vena Cava

00:01 Now, let's turn our attention to the inferior vena cava.

00:05 We can see the inferior vena cava here is positioned to the right of the abdominal aorta.

00:11 And we can see that it's formed by the union of both the internal and the external iliac veins which are draining the lower limb and the pelvis respectively.

00:21 And these two unions, these two veins unite to form common iliac veins.

00:27 The common iliac vein, then a round out five unite to form the inferior vena cava.

00:34 The inferior vena cava ascends up the posterior abdominal wall to the right of the abdominal aorta, and then it passes through the caval opening in the diaphragm, in the eighth thoracic vertebral level.

00:49 As it ascends, it's joined by numerous different veins.

00:52 Here we can see the lumbar veins draining the musculature of the posterior abdominal wall.

00:58 Here we can see the right gonadal vein draining into the inferior vena cava.

01:02 And here we can see the two renal veins draining into the inferior vena cava from the left and right kidneys.

01:09 Important to note that here on the left hand side the gonadal vein drains into the left renal vein directly.

01:16 It doesn't drain into the inferior vena cava like it's right version.

01:22 As we carry on ascending we'll be familiar with the suprarenal veins draining here we can see the right suprarenal vein draining into the inferior vena cava.

01:30 And then we can see the hepatic veins, once the liver has discharged all of its functioning and its processing of the blood that's entered into it via the hepatic portal vein.

01:42 Blood leaves the liver joins the inferior vena cava by way of those hepatic veins.

01:49 We can see and remind ourselves that we have the caval opening.

01:52 Remember this occurs at the level of the 8th thoracic vertebra as the inferior vena cava ascends along the posterior abdominal wall and then passes through the diaphragm.