Variation of the Inferior Mesenteric Vein’s Drainage Pattern and its Clinical Significance

Abstract

The anatomical joining and drainage of the inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) into the splenic vein are usually reported in the anatomical literature. Nevertheless, the joining and drainage of IMV into the superior mesenteric vein or the junction between the splenic vein and the superior mesenteric vein are also possible. During routine dissections of the abdomen for anatomy education in the Department of Anatomy Laboratory in the Faculty of Medicine at the Gazi University, a variaton of IMV was observed in a 66-year-old male cadaver. It is certainly useful for surgeons, as well as interventional radiologists, to be informed about mesenteric venous variations.