After birth, the umbilical vein becomes which structure?

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Multiple Choice

After birth, the umbilical vein becomes which structure?

After birth, vessels that connected the fetus to the placenta regress to fibrous remnants. The umbilical vein becomes the ligamentum teres hepatis (round ligament) of the liver, a fibrous cord tucked inside the falciform ligament. This occurs because placental blood flow ends and the vein closes, leaving a scar-like structure on the liver’s surface. The other options are different vessels with separate roles and developmental origins: the portal vein is a major hepatic venous conduit formed during development from the vitelline veins; the inferior vena cava is the large return vessel with a developmental course independent of the umbilical vein; the hepatic artery is a branch of the celiac trunk supplying the liver, not a remnant of fetal circulation.

After birth, vessels that connected the fetus to the placenta regress to fibrous remnants. The umbilical vein becomes the ligamentum teres hepatis (round ligament) of the liver, a fibrous cord tucked inside the falciform ligament. This occurs because placental blood flow ends and the vein closes, leaving a scar-like structure on the liver’s surface.

The other options are different vessels with separate roles and developmental origins: the portal vein is a major hepatic venous conduit formed during development from the vitelline veins; the inferior vena cava is the large return vessel with a developmental course independent of the umbilical vein; the hepatic artery is a branch of the celiac trunk supplying the liver, not a remnant of fetal circulation.

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