Vena hemiazygos is a medical term used to describe a vein in the human body that is located on the left side of the spinal column. The word is pronounced as /ˈvɛnə hɛmiəˈzaɪɡɒs/. The term is derived from Latin words "vena," meaning vein, "hemi," meaning half, and "azygos," meaning unpaired. Therefore, vena hemiazygos refers to a vein that is partially paired and partially unpaired in the human body. This vein plays an important role in draining the blood from the thoracic region of the body.
The term "vena hemiazygos" refers to a specific vein found in the human body. It is a major component of the venous system, carrying deoxygenated blood from the thoracic and abdominal regions back to the heart. The vena hemiazygos is a counterpart to the larger vein known as the azygos vein in the body’s venous circulation.
The vena hemiazygos arises on the left side of the body, usually from the ascending lumbar vein, which is a branch of the left renal vein. It ascends through the posterior mediastinum region, near the spine, and travels superiorly on the left side of the vertebral column. Unlike its counterpart, the azygos vein, which crosses the midline to join the superior vena cava on the right side, the vena hemiazygos mostly remains on the left side of the body.
During this ascent, the vena hemiazygos typically receives blood from various tributaries, such as the left inferior intercostal veins, the subcostal veins, and sometimes the left superior lumbar vein. It drains into the azygos vein, the superior cardinal vein, or even directly into the superior vena cava. This connection allows the blood to return to the heart and subsequently to be oxygenated and distributed throughout the body.
Understanding the anatomy of the vena hemiazygos is essential for medical professionals, as it plays a crucial role in the proper functioning of the human circulatory system.
V. azygos minor inferior, begins in the epigastric region, pierces the left crus of the diaphragm, ascends along the left side of the bodies of the lower dorsal vertebrae, opposite the eighth vertebra crosses the front of the spine, behind the aorta, thoracic duct, and esophagus, and empties into the vena azygos.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
The word "vena hemiazygos" is derived from two Latin words: "vena" meaning "vein" and "hemiazygos" meaning "half coupled" or "half united".
The Latin word "vena" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "weǵ-", which means "to carry" or "to transport". It has been directly adopted into several modern languages, such as Spanish ("vena") and Italian ("vena"), both meaning "vein".
"Hemiazygos" is a compound word derived from "hemi-" meaning "half" and "azygos" meaning "united" or "coupled". The term "hemi-" comes from the Greek "hemi-" meaning "half" or "partial".
When combined, "vena hemiazygos" refers to a specific vein in human anatomy.