paraumbilical vein
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: * A small vein located in the skin and tissues surrounding the navel (umbilicus). It is a tributary that drains blood from the abdominal wall and ultimately connects to the portal venous system of the liver.
Usage
The term is used in medical and anatomical contexts to describe a specific venous structure. * The paraumbilical vein can become enlarged in patients with portal hypertension. * During the fetal stage, a related structure (the umbilical vein) is a major blood vessel, but after birth, a remnant may persist as a paraumbilical vein.
Advanced Usage
- Clinical Significance: In conditions like cirrhosis, increased pressure in the portal vein (portal hypertension) can cause the normally small paraumbilical veins to dilate and become visible on the abdominal surface, a condition sometimes referred to as "caput medusae."
Variants and Related Words
- Vein of Sappey: An alternative anatomical name for the paraumbilical vein.
- Umbilical vein: The major fetal vein that carries oxygenated blood from the placenta to the fetus; it is a different, though embryologically related, structure.
- Portal vein: The large vein into which the paraumbilical vein drains as an accessory vessel.
Synonyms
- Accessory portal vein (descriptive synonym based on its termination).
Noun
- small veins arising in skin around the navel; terminate as accessory portal veins