cmungall
commented
14 years ago Yes, and no.
The term "portal vein" is almost always used synonymously with "hepatic portal vein." However, it appears that a more general definition might be "any vein connecting two capillary networks, esp in the liver (hepatic portal vein)" [Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009] or "a large vein that is formed by fusion of other veins, that terminates in a capillary network, and that delivers blood to some area of the body other than the heart especially : HEPATIC PORTAL VEIN" [Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, 2007 ] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/portal+vein
Thus, the "hepatic portal vein" (synonym: portal vein) should be a subclass of "portal vein" (as it is in the FMA) which, in turn, is a subclass of "vein"
Does this make sense?
Original comment by: tfhayamizu
Are the portal vein [MA:0002198] and hepatic portal vein [MA:0002132] the same thing? I see that FMA also lists these separately, but I can't find a reference that makes a distinction.
Original comment by: cindyJax
Original Ticket: obo/mouse-anatomy-requests/31