A 52-Year-Old Man Is Being Evaluated for Nonspecific, Chronic Abdominal

A 52-year-old man is being evaluated for nonspecific, chronic abdominal pain.  As part of the workup, he undergoes an abdominal CT scan with intravenous contrast, which reveals no significant findings.  An axial image from the scan is shown below. Which of the following statements best describes the structure indicated by the arrow?

A) It drains into the left subclavian vein in the thorax.
B) It drains through the cystic duct into the common bile duct.
C) It gives rise to the right and left renal arteries.
D) It is formed by the union of the common iliac veins.
E) It joins the splenic vein to form the portal vein.