Hemiazygos vein

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Vein: Hemiazygos vein

Diagram showing completion of development of the parietal veins. (Hemiazygos vein visible at center-left.)

The venæ cavæ and azygos veins, with their tributaries.
Latin	vena hemiazygos
Gray's	p.667
Drains to	azygos vein
Precursor	Left supracardinal vein^[1]

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, essentially serve as the left-sided equivalent of the azygos vein. That is, the azygos vein serves to drain most of the posterior intercostal veins on the right side of the body, and the hemiazygos vein and the accessory hemiazygos vein drain most of the posterior intercostal veins on the left side of the body. Specifically, the hemiazygos vein mirrors the bottom part of the azygos vein.

The structure of the hemiazygos vein is often variable. It usually begins in the left ascending lumbar vein or renal vein, and passes upward through the left crus of the diaphragm to enter the thorax. It continues ascending on the left side of the vertebral column, and around the level of the ninth thoracic vertebra, it passes rightward across the column, behind the aorta, esophagus, and thoracic duct, to end in the azygos vein.

The hemiazygos may or may not be continuous superiorly with the accessory hemiazygos vein.

It receives the 9th, 10th, and 11th posterior intercostal veins and the subcostal vein of the left side, and some esophageal and mediastinal veins.

Etymology

The name for this vein is derived from that of the azygos vein. Azygos means 'unpaired', and hemi means half. This vein mirrors the bottom half the azygos vein.

References

↑ Edward Lamperti; Michael Schuenke; Erik Schulte; Udo Schumacher; Ross, Lawrence J. (2006). General Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System (Thieme Atlas of Anatomy). Thieme Publishing Group. p. 13. ISBN 3-13-142081-2.

External links

thoraxlesson5 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (postmediastinumlevel5)
21:12-0200 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Mediastinum: The Azygos Vein and Posterior Intercostal Veins"
Human anatomy at Dartmouth figures/chapter_24/24-2.HTM

This article incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy.

Veins of the thorax and vertebral column (TA A12.3.01–04, 07, GA 7.664)

Thorax

Coronary

Coronary sinus	Great cardiac (Left marginal) Posterior of the left ventricle Oblique of the left atrium (Ligament of the left vena cava) Middle cardiac

Small cardiac vein	Anterior cardiac (Right marginal)

Smallest cardiac veins	Right atrial veins Right ventricular veins

Pulmonary

right inferior pulmonary vein
right superior pulmonary vein
left inferior pulmonary vein
left superior pulmonary vein

SVC

Brachiocephalic	internal thoracic anterior intercostal superior epigastric left superior intercostal supreme vertebral subclavian axillary: lateral thoracic thoracoepigastric dorsal scapular external jugular pericardiacophrenic internal jugular

Azygos	right superior intercostal bronchial intercostal/posterior intercostal 5-11 accessory hemiazygos/hemiazygos superior phrenic

Vertebral column

vertebral venous plexuses
- external
- internal
spinal
- posterior
- anterior
basivertebral
intervertebral

M: VAS

anat (a:h/u/t/a/l,v:h/u/t/a/l)/phys/devp/cell/prot

noco/syva/cong/lyvd/tumr, sysi/epon, injr

proc, drug (C2s+n/3/4/5/7/8/9)

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