The route of the umbilical vein

The umbilical vein heads north passes the left portal vein, past the portal sinus, through the ductus venosus then enters into the inferior vena cava and then into the right atrium. The ductus venosus does not take a straight or direct path. Scroll through the slides below

See next topic to see how ultrasound visualises the path and how ultrasound can help