The liver veins
Hepatic veins · venae hepaticae
Short veins that drain blood out of the liver into the inferior vena cava.
What it does
Three main hepatic veins collect blood that has passed through the liver and empty it into the inferior vena cava just below the diaphragm.
Surprising fact
They are one of the landmarks surgeons use to divide the liver into the segments they remove in liver surgery.
Why it matters
Knowing the liver's segments lets surgeons remove a diseased section while leaving the rest working, which is possible because the liver can regrow.
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.