The renal veins are veins that drain the kidney. They connect the kidney to the inferior vena cava.

It is usually singular to each kidney, except in the condition "multiple renal veins".

It also divides into 2 divisions upon entering the kidney:

• the anterior branch which receives blood from the anterior portion of the kidney and,
• the posterior branch which receives blood from the posterior portion.

Often, each renal vein will have a branch that receives blood from the ureter.

Asymmetry

Because the inferior vena cava is on the right half of the body, the left renal vein is generally the longer of the two.

Because the inferior vena cava is not laterally symmetrical, the left renal vein often receives the following veins:

• left inferior phrenic vein
• left suprarenal vein
• left gonadal vein (left testicular vein in males, left ovarian vein in females)
• left 2nd lumbar vein

This is in contrast to the right side of the body, where these veins drain directly into the IVC.

Pathology

Diseases associated with the renal vein include renal vein thrombosis (RVT) and nutcracker syndrome (renal vein entrapment syndrome).

References

Additional images

See also

• renal physiology

References

External links

• - "Retroperitoneal structures on the posterior abdominal wall."