Renal vein
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Knipe H, Hacking C, Worsley C, et al. Renal vein. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 21 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-25941
Permalink:
rID:
25941
Article created:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Henry Knipe had no recorded disclosures.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had the following disclosures:
- Philips Australia, Paid speaker at Philips Spectral CT events (ongoing)
These were assessed during peer review and were determined to not be relevant to the changes that were made.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosures
Revisions:
9 times, by
7 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
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 calibre (~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. Geoffrey D. Rubin, Neil M. Rofsky. CT and MR Angiography. (2009) ISBN: 9780781745253 - Google Books
- 2. Michael Schünke, Erik Schulte, Udo Schumacher. Thieme Atlas of Anatomy. (2006) ISBN: 9783131420916 - Google Books
- 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
Incoming Links
Articles:
- Adrenal gland
- Surgical splenorenal shunt
- Superior mesenteric artery
- Vascular compression disorders
- Splenic vein
- Common iliac vein
- Para-aortic lymph nodes
- Adrenal veins
- Superior mesenteric artery compression disorders
- Testes
- Pelvic congestion syndrome
- Tributaries of the inferior vena cava (mnemonic)
- Kidneys
- Threads and streaks sign
- Abernethy malformation
- Spontaneous splenorenal shunt
- Renal artery
- RENAL nephrometry scoring system
- Ovary
- Ascending lumbar communicant vein
Cases:
- Renal vessels (Gray's illustrations)
- Aberrant extra renal artery and vein arising from common iliac vessels
- Renal artery aneurysm causing focal hydronephrosis
- Transposition of inferior vena cava
- Pelviureteric junction obstruction by accessory renal vein
- Renal cell carcinoma
- Cardiac arrest (CT)
- Circumaortic left renal vein
- Metastatic locally invasive renal cell carcinoma
- Truncal venous development (Gray's illustration)
- Retroaortic left renal vein
- Hepatic hydatid cyst and Nutcracker phenomenon
- Adrenal cortical carcinoma
- Left renal vein thrombosis
- Nutcracker phenomenon
- Left testicular varicocele - nutcracker phenomenon
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- muscles of the abdomen and pelvis
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- abdominal and pelvic viscera
- gastrointestinal tract
- spleen
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endocrine system
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adrenal gland
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- chromaffin cells
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- pancreas
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adrenal gland
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urinary system
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kidney
- renal pelvis
- renal sinus
- avascular plane of Brodel
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variants
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- ureter
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- embryology
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kidney
- male reproductive system
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female reproductive system
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