Batson venous plexus

Batson venous plexus, also known as Batson veins, are a network of veins with no valves that connect deep pelvic veins draining the bladder, prostate, and rectum to the internal vertebral venous plexus . These veins are important because they are believed to provide a route for spread of pelvic cancer metastases or infections to the spine .

History and etymology

The plexus is named after the American surgeon and anatomist Oscar Vivian Batson (1894-1979) , who first described it in 1940 .