Lateral sacral veins
Venae sacrales latérales
Paired veins on the front of the sacrum that travel with the lateral sacral arteries and drain into the internal iliac vein.
At a glance
- English
- Lateral sacral veins
- Latin (TA2)
- Venae sacrales latérales
- System
- Vein
- Region
- Trunk
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the lateral sacral veins
The lateral sacral veins drain the front of the sacrum and the structures in and around the sacral canal. They are the companion veins of the lateral sacral arteries and run on the pelvic surface of the sacrum, roughly along the line of the anterior sacral foramina on each side. Like many deep veins they may be paired around each artery.
They are part of a richly connected venous network. On the front of the sacrum they join with each other and with the median sacral vein to form the sacral venous plexus. Through the anterior sacral foramina they connect with the internal vertebral venous plexus inside the sacral canal, which in turn links with the veins of the whole spinal column. Branches also come from the sacral nerve roots and from the muscles at the back of the pelvis, such as piriformis.
From this plexus the lateral sacral veins ascend lateral to the median sacral vessels and end in the internal iliac vein, or sometimes in one of its tributaries such as the superior gluteal vein. In some people they also open into the common iliac vein. Their exact number and arrangement vary.
The sacral venous plexus is of real practical concern. During removal of the rectum, the presacral space is opened and the plexus may be torn; the veins retract into the sacral foramina, and bleeding from them can be severe and hard to stop. Similar bleeding is a risk in sacral fractures and in surgery or screw placement on the front of the sacrum. Because the plexus is valveless and continuous with the vertebral veins, it is also a route by which pelvic infection or tumour may reach the spine.
Course and drainage
- Begins at
- Arise from the sacral venous plexus on the pelvic surface of the sacrum, with tributaries through the anterior sacral foramina from the sacral canal.
- Drains into
- Ascend lateral to the median sacral vessels to end in the internal iliac vein or one of its tributaries.
- Drains
- Drain the sacrum, the contents of the sacral canal and nearby muscles of the posterior pelvic wall.
Anthromica
See the lateral sacral veins where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
- Every layer, one body. Peel from muscle to bone, nerve, vessel and organ, and turn it any way.
- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
- Quiz until it sticks. Short drills on the structures you keep missing.
Free to start. No card.
