Renal vein
Citation, DOI and article data
Citation:
Knipe, H., Hacking, C. Renal vein. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org. (accessed on 21 Sep 2021) https://radiopaedia.org/articles/25941
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25941
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Synonyms:
- Renal veins
- Renal vein anatomy
The renal veins are asymmetric paired retroperitoneal veins that drain the kidneys.
On this page:
Gross anatomy
Course
The renal vein is formed by the union of two-to-three renal parenchymal veins in the renal sinus. It emerges from the renal hilum anterior to the renal artery and drains into the inferior vena cava at the level of L2.
The left renal vein is much longer, at 6-7 cm, than the right renal vein, at 3-4 cm, but they have a similar caliber (~1.2 cm). The left renal vein courses anteriorly to the abdominal aorta.
Tributaries
Left renal vein
- left gonadal vein
- left inferior phrenic vein
- left adrenal vein
- small branches from kidney capsule, proximal ureter and renal pelvis
Right renal vein
- small branches from kidney capsule, proximal ureter and renal pelvis
Variant anatomy
See article: renal vein anomalies.
Related pathology
References
- 1. CT and MR angiography. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers. ISBN:078174525X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Schumacher U. Thieme atlas of anatomy. Thieme Georg Verlag. ISBN:313142091X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Mauro MA, Murphy KP, Thomson KR et-al. Image-Guided Interventions: Expert Radiology Series. Saunders. ISBN:B00E6GB08K. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
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