Superior vena cava

Superior vena cava

Infobox Vein
Name = Superior vena cava
Latin = v. cava superior
GraySubject = 172
GrayPage = 666
Image
Heart diagram 250px
Caption = Anterior (frontal) view of the opened heart. White arrows indicate normal blood flow.


Caption2 = Veins
DrainsFrom =
Source = brachiocephalic vein, azygous vein | DrainsTo =
Artery =
MeshName = Vena+Cava,+Superior
MeshNumber = A07.231.908.949.815
The superior vena cava is a large, yet short vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper half of the body to the heart's right atrium.

It is formed by the left and right brachiocephalic veins, (also referred to as the innominate veins) which receive blood from the upper limbs and the head and neck, behind the lower border of the first right costal cartilage. The azygous vein (which receives blood from the rib cage) joins it just before it enters the right atrium, at the upper right front portion of the heart. It is also known as the cranial vena cava in animals.

No valve separates the superior vena cava from the right atrium. As a result, the (right) atrial and (right) ventricular contractions are conducted up into the internal jugular vein and, through the sternocleidomastoid muscle, can be seen as the jugular venous pressure. In tricuspid valve regurgitation, these pulsations are very strong.


=Additional

ee also

*Persistent left superior vena cava
*Superior vena cava syndrome


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  • superior vena cava — n a vein that is the second largest vein in the human body, is formed by the union of the two brachiocephalic veins at the level of the space between the first two ribs, and returns blood to the right atrium of the heart from the upper half of… …   Medical dictionary

  • Superior vena cava syndrome — Classification and external resources Superior vena cava syndrome in a person with bronchogenic carcinoma. Note the swelling of his face first thing in the morning (left) and its resolution after being upright all day (right). ICD …   Wikipedia

  • Superior vena cava syndrome — The symptoms that result from compression of the large vein that carries blood down to the heart. The superior vena cava is a large vein that transmits blood from the upper body back to the heart. The superior vena cava is located in the middle… …   Medical dictionary

  • superior vena cava persistent left — a developmental anomaly in which the left superior vena cava persists into postnatal life, usually draining into the left atrium; it is due to failure of the upper part of the left anterior cardinal vein to become obliterated. It may be an… …   Medical dictionary

  • superior vena cava syndrome — A condition in which a tumor presses against the superior vena cava (the large vein that carries blood from the head, neck, arms, and chest to the heart). This pressure blocks blood flow to the heart and may cause coughing, difficulty in… …   English dictionary of cancer terms

  • superior vena cava — noun receives blood from the head and arms and chest and empties into the right atrium of the heart; formed from the azygos and both brachiocephalic veins • Syn: ↑precava • Hypernyms: ↑vena cava * * * noun : the portion of the caval system of a… …   Useful english dictionary

  • superior vena cava — pl. superior venae cavae. See under vena cava. See illus. under heart. Also called precava. [1905 10] * * * …   Universalium

  • superior vena cava — noun Date: 1875 the branch of the vena cava of a vertebrate that brings blood back from the head and anterior part of the body to the heart …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Syndrome, superior vena cava — The symptoms that result from compression of the large vein that carries blood down to the heart. The superior vena cava is a large vein that transmits blood from the upper body back to the heart. The superior vena cava is located in the middle… …   Medical dictionary

  • Persistent left superior vena cava — Infobox Disease Name = Persistent left superior vena cava Caption = DiseasesDB = ICD10 = Q26.1 ICD9 = ICD9|747.49 ICDO = OMIM = MedlinePlus = eMedicineSubj = eMedicineTopic = MeshID = In anatomy, a persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is… …   Wikipedia

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