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The human body is a very complex system of organs, bones and muscles. They are connected, inter alia, by veins that transport blood around the body, and with it valuable substances that are needed for the life and healthy functioning of the entire body. One of the most important veins in our body is the portal vein, which has many important functions and is connected to various organs. In the following article, you will learn what the portal vein is, what role it plays and what diseases can be associated with it.
What is the portal vein?
The portal vein is a fairly wide vessel about 7-8 cm long. It can be up to 2 cm wide. Due to the fact that the portal vein is such a wide vessel, a lot of blood can flow through it – even 1 liter per minute. The portal vein is primarily used to supply blood to the liver and is actually a combination of the superior mesenteric vein and the splenic vein. It is these two veins, through many smaller ones, that connect with such organs as the small and large intestines, stomach, spleen, pancreas, and also the gallbladder.
What veins connect to the portal vein?
As already mentioned, many other, smaller veins are connected to the portal vein. These are the vesicular vein, the pre-antral vein, the posterior superior pancreatic-duodenal vein, the left gastric vein and the right gastric vein. It is also worth noting that the umbilical vein is also connected to the portal vein, but of course this only applies to fetal life.
What are the functions of the portal vein?
The portal vein has many important functions in the human body. First of all, it is thanks to it that all the substances it needs are transported to the liver. These include, but are not limited to, the nutrients that are obtained from food, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and also fats. Thanks to the portal vein, pancreatic hormones are also delivered to the liver, including some of the most important ones – insulin and glucagon, as well as the products of the breakdown of blood cells in the spleen. Among them, the most important are proteins, hemoglobin and iron.
The portal vein, however, is responsible not only for providing the liver with valuable substances needed for the proper functioning of the body, but also for ensuring that toxins and other harmful substances are safely removed from the body. These types of substances also pass through the liver and are metabolized or deactivated there, without reaching the heart, brain and other organs.
What diseases are associated with the portal vein?
Various diseases and conditions can be associated with the portal vein. One of the most common, however, is portal hypertension, which is characterized by a dilated and overfilled portal vein. Portal hypertension is caused by an abnormal flow of blood to the vena cava. There are different types of portal hypertension, depending on where the increased vascular resistance occurs. These are portal prehepatic, hepatic and extrahepatic hypertension.