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The hepatic portal system includes the veins that drain blood from capillaries in the spleen, stomach, pancreas, and intestine. Instead of emptying their blood directly into the inferior vena cava, they deliver it by way of the hepatic portal vein to the liver. Upon entering the liver, the portal vein divides and sub-divides into ever smaller branches. Eventually, the portal blood flows into a vast network of sinus like vessels called sinusoids. These are enlarged capillaries that serve as blood channels within the tissues of the liver, spleen, thyroid gland, and other structures. After leaving the sinusoids, blood is finally collected by the hepatic veins, which empty into the inferior vena cava.