American Board of Surgery Qualifying Exam (ABS QE) Practice Test

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Which vein drains the left adrenal gland?

Inferior vena cava
Left renal vein
Right renal vein
Portal vein

The correct answer is: Left renal vein

The left adrenal gland is primarily drained by the left renal vein. This vein collects blood not only from the left kidney but also serves as the main drainage pathway for blood from the left adrenal gland. It empties into the inferior vena cava, but specifically for the drainage of the adrenal gland, it is the left renal vein that is significant. When assessing the drainage system, it’s important to note that while the right adrenal gland drains directly into the inferior vena cava, the anatomy on the left side is different, necessitating this unique drainage pathway. The other options do not play a role in the venous drainage of the left adrenal gland, as the inferior vena cava is more of a distal collection point and the portal vein is part of the hepatic circulation, which is unrelated to the adrenal glands' direct drainage.