(2.14)
Now we'll move on to look at the veins that drain the GI tract, the pancreas and the spleen.
Now we'll move on to look at the veins that drain the GI tract, the pancreas and the spleen.
The venous drainage of these organs is unlike that of the rest of the body. The arteries we've seen are accompanied by corresponding veins. These run back alongside the arteries, but they don't join the vena cava, they join to form the portal vein, which takes the blood from the GI tract, the spleen and the pancreas to the liver.
The portal vein is formed behind the pancreas. Here's the pancreas. Here's the duodenum; here it is again.
Here are the superior mesenteric, and inferior mesenteric veins, joining, and passing up behind the neck of the pancreas. To see more, we'll remove the left half of the pancreas. Here behind the pancreas is the large splenic vein coming in from the left.
The portal vein is formed by the confluence of these vessels. More often the inferior mesenteric vein joins the splenic rather than the superior mesenteric. To follow the portal vein we'll put the pancreas back in place.
Here's the portal vein emerging from behind the neck of the pancreas and running up and to the right towards the liver. It runs behind the first part of the duodenum, which goes here. Let's see that again at an earlier stage of the dissection. Here's the pylorus, here's the first part of the duodenum. We'll pull it downward.
Here's the portal vein. It runs up toward the liver within the hepato-duodenal ligament, which is the lower part of the lesser omentum. Here's the free border of the lesser omentum.
Close to the portal vein are the hepatic artery and the common ...
(2.14)
Now we'll move on to look at the veins that drain the GI tract, the pancreas and the spleen.
Now we'll move on to look at the veins that drain the GI tract, the pancreas and the spleen.
The venous drainage of these organs is unlike that of the rest of the body. The arteries we've seen are accompanied by corresponding veins. These run back alongside the arteries, but they don't join the vena cava, they join to form the portal vein, which takes the blood from the GI tract, the spleen and the pancreas to the liver.
The portal vein is formed behind the pancreas. Here's the pancreas. Here's the duodenum; here it is again.
Here are the superior mesenteric, and inferior mesenteric veins, joining, and passing up behind the neck of the pancreas. To see more, we'll remove the left half of the pancreas. Here behind the pancreas is the large splenic vein coming in from the left.
The portal vein is formed by the confluence of these vessels. More often the inferior mesenteric vein joins the splenic rather than the superior mesenteric. To follow the portal vein we'll put the pancreas back in place.
Here's the portal vein emerging from behind the neck of the pancreas and running up and to the right towards the liver. It runs behind the first part of the duodenum, which goes here. Let's see that again at an earlier stage of the dissection. Here's the pylorus, here's the first part of the duodenum. We'll pull it downward.
Here's the portal vein. It runs up toward the liver within the hepato-duodenal ligament, which is the lower part of the lesser omentum. Here's the free border of the lesser omentum.
Close to the portal vein are the hepatic artery and the common bile duct. The portal vein ends here, dividing into left and right branches as it enters the liver at the porta hepatis.