How Abdominal Blood Returns to the Heart

Blood from the abdomen and pelvis returns to the heart through the inferior vena cava. This large vein collects blood from the abdominopelvic organs and the abdominal walls before it carries it upward.

Many smaller veins feed into the inferior vena cava. The lumbar veins drain the posterior abdom...

The inferior vena cava is a large vein, fed by many smaller tributaries, that returns blood from the abdominopelvic organs to the heart.

Lumbar veins, draining the posterior abdominal wall, empty into both the inferior vena cava and the ascending lumbar veins of the azygos system.

The inferior phrenic vein drains the inferior surfa...