Tributaries of the portal vein of the domestic cat

The portal vein is a large venous collector that collects venous blood from the organs of the gastrointestinal tract located in the abdominal cavity, with the exception of the caudal part of the rectum. The purpose of this study was to study ways of formation of portal vein in a domestic cat, to give the veins a morphometric characteristic. The material for the study was the corpses of cats, delivered to the Department of Animal Anatomy of the Saint Petersburg State University of Veterinary Medicine from veterinary clinics in St. Petersburg. In total, 15 cats were included in the study, the selection criterion for which was the absence of a history of infectious diseases, as well as diseases from the gastrointestinal tract; an average weight of the cats was 3500…3800 g. The research methods were fine anatomical dissection and morphometry. Previously, for fine anatomical dissection, the portal vein was injected with tinted latex. Four large veins take part in the formation of the portal vein of a cat. Splenic, right gastric, and gastrointestinal duodenum drain blood from the stomach of a domestic cat. Splenic and gastrointestinal veins are also involved in formation of blood outflow routes from pancreas and descending part of duodenum. The fourth branch of the portal vein, common trunk of mesenteric veins, is formed by fusion of cranial and caudal mesenteric veins. The cranial mesenteric vein collects blood from jejunum (along large jejunum veins), from iliac, caecum and ascending colon (iliac-­colon vein). From transverse and descending colon, as well as the proximal rectum, blood outflow occurs through caudal mesenteric vein system.