posterior inferior pancreaticoduodenal vein

The posterior inferior pancreaticoduodenal vein is a vein that is a tributary of the superior mesenteric vein, draining the dorsal surface of the second and third portions of the duodenum and the dorsal surface of the head and uncinate process of the pancreas.

It is located in the upper abdomen, coursing along the posterior aspect of the head and uncinate process of the pancreas and the adjacent duodenum before draining into the superior mesenteric vein.

Its function is to drain deoxygenated blood from the dorsal surfaces of the second and third duodenal portions and the dorsal head and uncinate process of the pancreas into the superior mesenteric vein as part of the portal venous system.

Pancreatic or periampullary tumors may be associated with involvement or compression of this vein, and its anatomy is important in planning pancreatic surgical procedures such as pancreaticoduodenectomy.

CT venography or cross-sectional imaging such as contrast-enhanced CT or MRI may be used to visualize this vein and assess its relationship to surrounding pancreatic and duodenal structures.