Left renal vein

Vena renalis sinistra

CardiovascularBlood vesselsAbdomenLeft side

View in 3D

What it is
Leaves the left kidney in front of the renal artery and crosses in front of the aorta, just below the origin of the superior mesenteric artery, to enter the inferior vena cava. It receives the left gonadal and left adrenal veins.
Function
Drains the left kidney, adrenal gland and gonad.
Size
~7.5 cm long (three times the right), ~1 cm diameter.
Clinical note
Compression between the aorta and SMA ("nutcracker syndrome") can cause blood in the urine and, in men, a left-sided varicocele.

Nearby cardiovascular structures Abdominal aorta, Coeliac trunk, Common hepatic artery, Hepatic portal vein, Left renal artery, Right renal artery, Right renal vein, Splenic artery, Splenic vein, Superior mesenteric artery