The inferior vena cava is a wide vessel that forms the right and left iliac veins between the fourth and fifth vertebrae of the lumbar region. This cavity is designed to collect venous blood in the lower part of the human body. The inferior vena cava, the diameter of which varies from 2 to 3.4 cm, is located in the retroperitoneal space. It penetrates the diaphragm and smoothly enters the right atrium, taking blood from other veins in its path. Normally, the vessel should change its parameters during the respiratory process: when you inhale it, as a rule, it shrinks, and when you exhale it expands. It is thanks to this phenomenon that the inferior vena cava differs from the aorta.
The front surface of the vein consists of the root of the mesentery of the small intestine, the right testicular artery and the horizontal segment of the duodenum, above which the head of the pancreas is located. In the area of the upper edge of the vessel, an expansion is observed, which is surrounded on three sides by a liver substance. The inferior vena cava takes in the internal and parietal blood branches. The latter include the middle sacral and lumbar veins, as well as the lower diaphragmatic aorta. The system of the inferior vena cava is formed from joints, with the help of which blood is collected from the legs, pelvic organs and abdominal cavity.
Parietal tributaries
Analogues of the lumbar arteries are the veins of the same name, which have an identical course and take blood from the entire adjacent area. Typically, such vessels have a message with the inferior vena cava and carry out the outflow of blood from the region of the spinal cord. With the help of diaphragmatic veins, blood outflow from the lower part of the diaphragm is carried out.
Visceral tributary system
The inferior vena cava contains visceral tributaries that collect blood from internal organs. For example, the task of the hepatic veins is to drain the blood from the liver, and the adrenal vessels provide blood to the adrenal glands. The renal paired vein is responsible for the condition of the kidneys and ureters, and the testicular vessels, respectively, originate from the female ovaries and male testicles.
Vena cava diseases
Thrombotic obstruction of the lower hollow vessel is one of the most severe forms of venous obstruction of a chronic nature. Such a pathology almost always leads to bilateral damage to the lower extremities. At the same time, the patient has diffuse pains that can spread not only to the legs, but also to the groin, buttocks and abdominal cavity. In addition, there is swelling of the lower leg and thigh, which gradually covers the entire area of the lower limb to the very foot. In more severe cases, the buttocks, genitals, and even the anterior abdominal wall may swell. Some people have varicose veins of the small saphenous veins, and multiple trophic ulcerations form, which practically cannot be treated with medication. If the inferior vena cava is disturbed, such a serious complication as impotence can occur.