Abdomen: suprarenal veins: practice question

A Anatomy question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Anatomy · Abdomen: suprarenal veins

Sample item

A surgeon plans a right adrenalectomy for an aldosterone-producing adenoma and is wary of the short adrenal vein, since tearing it causes brisk caval bleeding. Where does the right suprarenal vein drain?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Directly into the inferior vena cava

The right suprarenal vein is short and drains directly into the IVC, which makes right adrenalectomy and adrenal vein sampling technically harder. The left suprarenal vein joins the left renal vein after receiving the left inferior phrenic vein. Knowing these differences helps interpret sampling results in primary aldosteronism.

Option by option

  • A. Directly into the inferior vena cava (correct)

    Correct. The right vein enters the posterior aspect of the IVC directly.

  • B. Into the right gonadal vein

    The right gonadal vein enters the IVC separately and does not receive the adrenal vein.

  • C. Into the right renal vein

    The left, not the right, suprarenal vein ends in the renal vein.

  • D. Into the right inferior phrenic vein

    The inferior phrenic veins join the suprarenal vein or IVC but do not receive it.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More Anatomy questions

Questions about this Anatomy question

What is the answer to this Anatomy question?

The best answer is A, Directly into the inferior vena cava. The right suprarenal vein is short and drains directly into the IVC, which makes right adrenalectomy and adrenal vein sampling technically harder.

Why is "Into the right gonadal vein" not the answer?

The right gonadal vein enters the IVC separately and does not receive the adrenal vein.

Why is "Into the right renal vein" not the answer?

The left, not the right, suprarenal vein ends in the renal vein.

Why is "Into the right inferior phrenic vein" not the answer?

The inferior phrenic veins join the suprarenal vein or IVC but do not receive it.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Abdomen: suprarenal veins in Anatomy. The left suprarenal vein joins the left renal vein after receiving the left inferior phrenic vein. Knowing these differences helps interpret sampling results in primary aldosteronism.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Abdomen: suprarenal veins?

Learn every nerve by its route, its muscles and what a lesion looks like at the bedside. That one habit answers a large share of questions. Then use the flashcards and the other Anatomy questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.