Corpus: Left gastric vein

The left gastric vein is a venous blood vessel that drains the lesser curvature of the stomach.

The left gastric vein runs along the lesser curvature of the stomach within the lesser omentum. It drains blood from the fundus, cardia, and body of the stomach via multiple branches, some of which anastomose with the right gastric vein. The left gastric vein then empties into the portal vein near the neck of the pancreas.

At the fundus and cardia of the stomach, the branches of the left gastric vein form anastomoses with the esophageal veins. These connections create a portocaval anastomosis, which can serve as a bypass circuit in the event of portal hypertension. Increased pressure in this system may lead to the formation of varices in the fundus and/or the esophagus, which can have serious pathological consequences, such as life-threatening bleeding.