Either of two large veins that drain blood from the upper body and from the lower body and empty into the right atrium of the heart.
[New Latin vēna cava : Latin vēna, vein + Latin cava, hollow.]
vena caval vena ca'val (-vəl) adj.
vena cava
Dictionary:
vena ca·va (kā'və)  |
n., pl., venae ca·vae (kā'vē).
Either of two large veins that drain blood from the upper body and from the lower body and empty into the right atrium of the heart.
Either of two large veins that drain blood from the upper body and from the lower body and empty into the right atrium of the heart.
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| Sports Science and Medicine: vena cava |
One of the two major veins leading into the right atrium of the heart.
| Veterinary Dictionary: cava |
[L.]
1. plural of cavum.
2. a vena cava.
| Wikipedia: Venae cavae |
| Vein: Venae Cavae | |
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| #3 is superior vena cava #11 is inferior vena cava |
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| Gray's | subject #172 |
| MeSH | Venae+Cavae |
The superior and inferior vena cava are collectively called the venae cavae. They are the veins that return deoxygenated blood from the body into the heart. They both empty into the right atrium.
The inferior vena cava (or posterior vena cava in animals) travels up alongside the abdominal aorta with blood from the lower part of the body (see # 11 in the diagram). It is the largest vein in the body.[1]
The superior vena cava (or anterior vena cava in animals) is above the heart, and forms from a convergence of the left and right brachiocephalic veins that contain blood from the head and the arms (see # 3 in the diagram).
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 | What do the superior and inferior vena cava do? |
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Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Sports Science and Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Venae cavae". Read more |
Related answers
- Is the inferior vena cava larger or the superior vena cava larger?
- What is a vena cava?
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- What is the difference between inferior vena cava and superior vena cava?
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