The esophageal veins drain blood from the
esophagus
The esophagus ( American English) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to ...
to the
azygos vein
The azygos vein is a vein running up the right side of the thoracic vertebral column draining itself towards the superior vena cava. It connects the systems of superior vena cava and inferior vena cava and can provide an alternative path for blo ...
, in the
thorax
The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...
, and to the
inferior thyroid vein in the neck. It also drains, although with less significance, to the
hemiazygos vein
The hemiazygos vein (vena azygos minor inferior) is a vein running superiorly in the lower thoracic region, just to the left side of the vertebral column.
Structure
The hemiazygos vein and the accessory hemiazygos vein, when taken together, essen ...
,
posterior intercostal vein and
bronchial veins
The bronchial veins are small vessels that return blood from the larger bronchi and structures at the roots of the lungs. The right side drains into the azygos vein, while the left side drains into the left superior intercostal vein or the accesso ...
.
In the abdomen, some drain to the
left gastric vein
The left gastric vein (or coronary vein) is a vein that derives from tributaries draining the lesser curvature of the stomach.
Structure
The left gastric vein runs from right to left along the lesser curvature of the stomach. It passes to the ...
which drains into the
portal vein.
See also
*
Esophageal varices
References
External links
*
* ()
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080506103555/http://www.med.mun.ca/anatomyts/digest/avein6.htm
Veins of the torso
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