Rectal venous plexus

The rectal venous plexus (or hemorrhoidal plexus) is the venous plexus surrounding the rectum. It consists of an internal and an external rectal plexus.:598:294 It is drained by the superior, middle, and inferior rectal veins. It forms a portosystemic (portocaval) anastomosis. This allows rectally administered medications to bypassing first pass metabolism.

Rectal venous plexus
Scheme of the anastomosis of the veins of the rectum.
The veins of the right half of the male pelvis.
Details
Drains toSuperior rectal vein,
Middle rectal vein(s),
Inferior rectal veins
Identifiers
Latinplexus venosus rectalis,
plexus haemorrhoidalis
TA98A12.3.10.010
TA25031
FMA18933
Anatomical terminology

Despite the inclusion of the term "rectal" into the name, the venous plexus is positionally, functionally, and clinically primarily related to the anal canal.

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