The iliac veins
Iliac veins · venae iliacae
Veins draining the legs and pelvis that join to form the inferior vena cava.
What it does
The external and internal iliac veins drain the leg and pelvis on each side and join to form the common iliac veins. These meet to form the inferior vena cava in the lower abdomen.
Surprising fact
The right common iliac artery crosses over the left common iliac vein, and in some people it squeezes the vein enough to make clots more likely in the left leg.
Why it matters
This is one reason deep vein clots are slightly more common in the left leg.
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.