This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Umbilical veins (embryology)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The umbilical veins are a pair of developmental vessels passing between the placenta and the sinus venosus of the heart. They carry oxygenated blood.

From the fifth week of development, part of the umbilical veins becomes incorporated into the region of the developing liver. The veins enlarge and anastomose within the developing parenchyma. They merge with the vitelline veins to form sinusoids.

Then, the right umbilical vein regresses along with the part of the left umbilical vein that is nearest to the heart. The distal part of the left umbilical vein is left to become the main channel through the liver. It forms an anastomosis with the right hepatocardiac channel, one of a pair of early vessels running between the liver and the heart. The route so formed provides a shunt to bypass the hepatic sinusoids. By three months' development, the right hepatocardiac channel has enlarged and is termed the ductus venosus.

The left umbilical vein regresses at birth into a fibrous cord; this forms the ligamentum teres hepatis. Also, the ductus venosus forms a fibrous cord, the ligamentum venosum.


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.