Vein: Superior vena cava
Anterior (frontal) view of the opened heart. White arrows indicate normal blood flow.
Veins
Latin	vena cava superior, vena maxima
Gray's	subject #172 666
Source	brachiocephalic vein, azygous vein
Precursor	common cardinal veins
MeSH	Vena+Cava,+Superior

The superior vena cava (also known as the cava or cva) is a large diameter, yet short, vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper half of the body to the heart's right atrium. It is located in the anterior right superior mediastinum.^[1]

It is formed by the left and right brachiocephalic veins (also referred to as the innominate veins), which also receive blood from the lower limbs, eyes and neck, behind the lower border of the first right costal cartilage. The azygos vein joins it just before it enters the right atrium, at the upper right front portion of the heart. It is also known as the cranial vena cava in animals.

No valve divides the superior vena cava from the right atrium. As a result, the (right) atrial and (right) ventricular contractions are conducted up into the internal jugular vein and, through the sternocleidomastoid muscle, can be seen as the jugular venous pressure. In tricuspid valve regurgitation, these pulsations are very strong.

[edit] Additional images

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  Diagram showing completion of development of the parietal veins.

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  Front view of heart and lungs.

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  Heart seen from above.

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  Transverse section of thorax, showing relations of pulmonary artery.

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  The arch of the aorta and its branches.

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  The brachiocephalic veins, superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, azygos vein, and their tributaries.

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  The thymus of a full-term fetus, exposed in situ.

References[link]

See also[link]

• Persistent left superior vena cava
• Superior vena cava syndrome

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Vein: Venae Cavae Oris
The human heart and nearby structures, with Superior and Inferior vena cava labeled at left side of image.
Gray's	subject #172
MeSH	Venae+Cavae

The superior and inferior vena cava are collectively called the venae cavae. They are the veins that return deoxygenated blood from the body, into the heart. They both empty into the right atrium.

The inferior vena cava (or caudal vena cava in animals) travels up alongside the abdominal aorta with blood from the lower part of the body (see # 11 in the diagram). It is the largest vein in the body. ^[1]

The superior vena cava (or cranial vena cava in animals) is above the heart, and forms from a convergence of the left and right brachiocephalic veins that contain blood from the head and the arms (see # 3 in the diagram).

References[link]

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