US Medical Term · anatomy
Portal Vein
Vena porta
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Portal Vein |
| Spanish (Español) | Vena porta |
| Chinese (中文) | 門靜脈 |
| Korean (한국어) | 문맥 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Tĩnh mạch cửa |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Portal na ugat |
| Portuguese (Português) | Veia porta |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | หลอดเลือดดำพอร์ทัล |
| Japanese (日本語) | 門脈 |
What it means
The portal vein is a large blood vessel that carries nutrient-rich blood from the digestive organs — including the stomach, intestines, spleen, and pancreas — to the liver. After you eat, nutrients and other substances absorbed by the gut travel through the portal vein to the liver for processing, detoxification, and storage. The liver depends on this blood supply, which accounts for about seventy-five percent of its total blood flow. Portal hypertension — elevated blood pressure inside the portal vein — is a serious complication of liver cirrhosis. It can cause the development of large, tortuous veins called varices in the esophagus or stomach that can rupture and bleed severely.
How to say it
Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:
My cirrhosis has caused high pressure in the portal vein and that is why I have swelling in my belly.
Mi cirrosis ha causado presión alta en la vena porta y por eso tengo hinchazón en el abdomen.
The doctor explained that the portal vein carries blood from my intestines to my liver to be filtered.
El médico explicó que la vena porta lleva sangre de mis intestinos al hígado para ser filtrada.
A clot formed in my portal vein and that is causing the pressure to build up.
Se formó un coágulo en mi vena porta y eso está causando que la presión aumente.
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Sources
Last reviewed: September 2026