Umbilical vein
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Craig Hacking had no recorded disclosures.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Henry Knipe had the following disclosures:
- Micro-X Ltd, Shareholder (past)
These were assessed during peer review and were determined to not be relevant to the changes that were made.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosuresThe umbilical vein is the conduit for blood returning from the placenta to the fetus until it involutes soon after birth.
Gross anatomy
The umbilical vein arises from multiple tributaries within the placenta and enters the umbilical cord, along with the (usually) paired umbilical arteries. Once it enters the fetus at the umbilicus, it courses upwards towards the liver in the falciform ligament and enters the liver at the porta hepatis joining with the left portal vein. Oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood returning from the placenta bypasses the liver in the fetus by passing from the umbilical vein into the ductus venosus, a direct communication to the inferior vena cava.
After birth, the umbilical vein obliterates due to the changes in pressure. The remnant of the umbilical vein forms a fibrous cord, the ligamentum teres that runs in the free edge of the falciform ligament.
Clinical importance
While "umbilical vein recanalization" is commonly cited in the literature as a sign of portal hypertension, the sonographic findings relate to paraumbilical vein dilatation 4,5.
References
- 1. Keith L. Moore, Arthur F. Dalley, A. M. R. Agur. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. (2013) ISBN: 9781451119459 - Google Books
- 2. Last, R. J., McMinn, R. M. H.. Last's Anatomy, Regional and Applied. (1994) ISBN: 044304662X - Google Books
- 3. Gray's Anatomy. (2015) ISBN: 9780702052309 - Google Books
- 4. Lafortune M, Constantin A, Breton G, Legare A, Lavoie P. The Recanalized Umbilical Vein in Portal Hypertension: A Myth. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1985;144(3):549-53. doi:10.2214/ajr.144.3.549 - Pubmed
- 5. Ibukuro K, Tanaka R, Fukuda H, Abe S, Tobe K. The Superior Group of Vessels in the Falciform Ligament: Anatomical and Radiological Correlation. Surg Radiol Anat. 2008;30(4):311-5. doi:10.1007/s00276-008-0325-6 - Pubmed
Incoming Links
- Umbilical venous catheters
- Fetal circulation
- Umbilical cord
- Fissure for ligamentum teres sign
- Umbilical cord thrombosis
- Fetal ductus venosus flow assessment
- Persistent right umbilical vein
- Twin reversed arterial perfusion
- Ligamentum venosum
- True umbilical cord knot
- Single umbilical artery
- Umbilical vein varix
- Medical abbreviations and acronyms (U)
- Absent ductus venosus
- Umbilical arterial catheters
- Umbilical venous flow assessment
- Umbilicus
- Umbilical venous dilatation
- Ductus venosus
- Ligamentum teres hepatis (abdomen)
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