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Glite Dictionary
inferior vena cava

inferior vena cava

1 4.6
A large vein that carries blood from the lower body and belly to the heart
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈfɪriər ˈviːnə ˈkeɪvə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vena cava inferior
  • Volume depletion in the circulating compartment can be assessed by ultrasonographic measurement of the diameter and collapsibility of the inferior vena cava.
  • inferior vena cava (IVC)
  • the inferior vena cava

Examples

  • Much less likely is a total anomalous pulmonary venous connection to the inferior vena cava with Scimitar syndrome (Johnson et al., 1981, emphasis added).

    Academic text (1990)

  • Then... a three-foot catheter threaded directly into the inferior vena cava, or the superior vena cava.

    The Exorcist III (1990)

  • At 24 hours following CLP, blood samples were drawn from the inferior vena cava and cultured to evaluate the bacterial clearance.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Abdominal ultrasound showed prominent inferior vena cava and dilated hepatic veins with minimal ascites.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The inferior vena cava is responsible for returning deoxygenated blood from the lower body to the heart.

  • Surgeons often access the inferior vena cava through an incision in the abdomen during cardiac procedures.

  • A blockage in the inferior vena cava can lead to swelling in the legs and abdomen.

Synonyms

postcava
vsinferior vena cava
  • Specialized
9.9

A large vein that carries blood from the lower body back to the heart

is the general name for the same vein without specifying its formation

How Big

inferior vena cava
  • Specialized
1 4.6
vein
  • Specialized
239 2.6
ileocolic vein
  • Specialized
8.9
venule
  • Specialized
9.0
capillary
  • Specialized
11 4.8

Surface Forms

inferior vena cava singular
inferior vena cavas plural

Morphology

inferior + vena + cava

The meaning is directly compositional: 'inferior' = lower and 'vena cava' = a major vein to the heart, so a learner who knows these constituents can infer it denotes the large lower body vein that returns blood to the heart. Anatomical naming is systematically built from such modifiers and this structure (lower + major vein) is cross-linguistically common, making the term transparently interpretable to learners who know the parts.

Etymology

Inferior vena cava comes from words that describe its place and shape: inferior means 'lower', vena means 'vein', and cava means 'hollow'. So the name describes a large hollow vein low in the body that carries blood up to the heart.