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Superior vena cava: anatomy, location and function

The large vein draining the upper body into the right atrium. It drains blood from the head, neck, upper limbs and thorax.

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Highlighted in the model: Superior vena cava. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Superior vena cava at a glance

What it is
The large vein draining the upper body into the right atrium.
Location
It forms by the union of the two brachiocephalic veins behind the first right costal cartilage and descends to enter the right atrium; the azygos vein joins it from behind.
Function
It drains blood from the head, neck, upper limbs and thorax.
Body system
Cardiovascular · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA4720 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • It is about 7 cm long; its lower half lies within the pericardial sac.
  • It has no valves, so right atrial pressure is transmitted up to the jugular veins (the jugular venous pulse).

Clinical relevance

Obstruction causes superior vena cava syndrome.

Structures next to the superior vena cava

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Superior vena cava (FMA4720). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §20.1 Structure and Function of Blood Vessels. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.