MEDICAL BIOLOGY, HUMAN ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY - Ya.I. Fedoniuk 2010

ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, PATHOLOGY

CHAPTER 5. BLOOD AND LYMPH CIRCULATION AND ITS PATHOLOGY

VESSELS OF THE SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION

2. VEINS OF THE SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION

2.3. HEPATIC PORTAL SYSTEM

The portal vein (of the Liver), v. portae (hepatis), is formed by the Veins of unpaired

abdominal Organs: The Stomach, small and large intestines (except for the anal canal), Spleen, and Pancreas. The main tributaries of the portal vein are the superior and inferior mesenteric veins and the splenic vein (Fig. 5.36), which merge behind the HEAD of the pancreas. The portal vein is located within the thickness of the hepatoduodenal ligament, posterior to the hepatic artery and the common Bile duct. Within this ligament, it enters the porta hepatis, where it divides into right and left branches. These branches ramify into smaller vessels within the hepatic parenchyma, giving rise to sinusoidal capillaries (see "Liver"). Venous Blood from the liver drains into the INFERIOR VENA CAVA via the hepatic veins.

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Fig. 5.36. Portal vein and its tributaries



Last update: 08/08/2026

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