noun
- The posterior vena cava; the large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the lower body and abdomen to the right atrium of the heart.
Usage: anatomy; also called inferior vena cava in modern usage
Examples
- The postcava is one of the two largest veins in the human body.
- Blood from the legs and lower organs flows through the postcava into the heart.
- The surgeon carefully identified the postcava during the abdominal procedure.
- Damage to the postcava can result in serious circulatory complications.
- In anatomy class, students learned that the postcava runs parallel to the aorta.