Portal hypertension: Imaging of portosystemic collateral pathways and associated image-guided therapy

Figure 1 Normal portal venous anatomy and direction of blood flow. The main portal vein (MPV) is most commonly formed when the splenic vein (SV) and the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) join. While variable, the inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) most commonly drains in to the splenic vein, at the level of the pancreatic body. Other tributaries may also join the MPV, such as the left gastric vein (LGV) as depicted here.