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inferior vena cava
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Illustration of a human heart in cross section, showing labeled chambers, valves, and major blood vessels including the aorta, pulmonary trunk, vena cavae, atria, and ventricles. Silhouette diagram of the human body highlighting the heart and major blood vessels, with labeled arteries in red and veins in blue to show the structure of the cardiovascular system. Diagram of the human circulatory system showing major arteries in red and veins in blue, with labeled pathways for arterial supply and venous drainage to organs including the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, intestines, and lower limbs. Diagram of the female renal system showing kidneys, adrenal glands, and urinary tract organs in their anatomical positions, with labels for major structures including blood vessels, bladder, and uterus. Illustration of a human heart cross-section showing four chambers-left and right atria and ventricles-with labeled major blood vessels. An inset highlights cardiac muscle tissue, showing myocytes and intercalated disks.
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inferior vena cava

anatomy
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Illustration of a human heart in cross section, showing labeled chambers, valves, and major blood vessels including the aorta, pulmonary trunk, vena cavae, atria, and ventricles.
The human heart The four chambers of the human heart shown in cross section.

The inferior vena cava is one of the two major veins in air-breathing vertebrates that deliver deoxygenated blood to the right side of the heart. In humans, it is also called the posterior vena cava or postcava, draining blood from the rear end of the body.1

This large vein is formed by the joining of the two common iliac veins from the legs, typically at the level of the fifth lumbar vertebra. It receives blood from various tributaries, including veins from the loins, abdominal walls, reproductive organs, kidneys, and liver. The inferior vena cava ascends near the backbone, passes through a groove on the liver's surface, enters the chest via an opening in the diaphragm, and empties into the right atrium of the heart. Unlike the superior vena cava, it has numerous tributaries along its path.1

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  1. vena cava
  2. superior vena cava

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