The ductus venosus connects which two vessels in the fetus?

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Multiple Choice

The ductus venosus connects which two vessels in the fetus?

In fetal circulation, the ductus venosus serves to shunt oxygen-rich blood from the placenta toward the heart while bypassing the liver. The umbilical vein brings this well-oxygenated blood from the placenta, and the ductus venosus connects it directly to the inferior vena cava, allowing most of that blood to reach the heart with minimal hepatic resistance. After birth, this vessel closes and becomes the ligamentum venosum as the placental circulation stops. The other described connections don’t reflect this specialized fetal pathway: the ductus venosus specifically links the umbilical vein to the IVC, bypassing the hepatic sinusoids; the other vessels listed would describe different circulatory routes or normal postnatal anatomy, not this fetal shunt.

In fetal circulation, the ductus venosus serves to shunt oxygen-rich blood from the placenta toward the heart while bypassing the liver. The umbilical vein brings this well-oxygenated blood from the placenta, and the ductus venosus connects it directly to the inferior vena cava, allowing most of that blood to reach the heart with minimal hepatic resistance. After birth, this vessel closes and becomes the ligamentum venosum as the placental circulation stops.

The other described connections don’t reflect this specialized fetal pathway: the ductus venosus specifically links the umbilical vein to the IVC, bypassing the hepatic sinusoids; the other vessels listed would describe different circulatory routes or normal postnatal anatomy, not this fetal shunt.

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