The inferior vena cava (or IVC), also known as the posterior vena cava, is the large vein that carries de-oxygenated blood from the lower half of the body into the right atrium of the heart.
It is posterior to the abdominal cavity and runs alongside of the vertebral column on its right side (i.e. it is a retroperitoneal structure). It enters the right atrium at the lower right, back side of the heart.
Read more about Inferior Vena Cava: Drainage Patterns, Pathologies Associated With The IVC, Embryology, Additional Images
Famous quotes containing the word inferior:
“Without self-confidence we are as babes in the cradles. And how can we generate this imponderable quality, which is yet so invaluable most quickly? By thinking that other people are inferior to oneself.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)