Hepatic veins

The hepatic veins are the veins that drain de-oxygenated blood from the liver into the inferior vena cava. There are usually three upper hepatic veins draining from the left, middle, and right parts of the liver:

• The right hepatic vein comes from the right lobe of the liver. It is the longest of the hepatic veins, and ends directly into the inferior vena cava.

• The intermediate hepatic vein (middle hepatic vein) runs in the main portal fissure between the right and left parts of the liver and usually joins the left hepatic vein to form a short common trunk that drains into the inferior vena cava. The intermediate hepatic vein drains directly into the inferior vena cava only in 10% cases.

• The left hepatic vein runs in some parts of the fissure for ligamentum teres and in the umbilical fissure and drains into the inferior vena cava with a common trunk with the intermediate hepatic vein.

These three hepatic veins are larger than the group of lower hepatic veins that can number from six to twenty. All of the hepatic veins drain into the inferior vena cava.

The large hepatic veins arise from smaller veins found within the liver, and ultimately from numerous central veins of the liver lobules. None of the hepatic veins have valves.