Venae cavae

Vein: venae cavae
The human heart and nearby structures, with Superior and Inferior vena cava labeled at left side of image.
Gray's	p.529
MeSH	Venae+Cavae

The superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava are collectively called the venae cavae (from the Latin for "hollow veins", feminine plural). They are the large veins (venous trunks) that return deoxygenated blood from the body, into the heart. They both empty into the right atrium.^[1]

The inferior vena cava (or caudal 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.^[2]

The superior vena cava (or cranial 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).

Pronunciation

Origin: 1590–1600; New Latin vena cava (sg), venae cavae (pl), 'hollow vein/veins'. Although the classical Latin pronunciation of venae cavae would be approximately /ˈwɛnaɪˈkɑːvaɪ/, the standard English medical pronunciation is /ˈviːniːˈkeɪviː/.

References