The portal vein
Hepatic portal vein · vena portae hepatis
A vein that carries nutrient-rich blood from your gut straight to your liver.
What it does
The portal vein forms behind the pancreas from veins draining the intestines, stomach, pancreas and spleen. Instead of going straight to the heart, it delivers this blood to the liver, which processes nutrients and removes toxins first.
Surprising fact
About three-quarters of the liver's blood supply comes through the portal vein, not from an artery.
Why it matters
Because medicines swallowed by mouth pass through the liver first, much of a dose can be broken down before reaching the rest of the body, which is why some drugs must be injected instead.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.