Final answer:
The left renal vein is the vessel that courses posterior to the IVC, as it must cross behind the IVC to drain into it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked which of the following vessels courses posterior to the Inferior Vena Cava (IVC): A) Right hepatic artery B) Left renal vein C) Right renal artery D) Left renal artery E) None of the above. The correct answer is B) Left renal vein. This is because, anatomically, the IVC lies primarily to the right of the vertebral column and aorta, which requires the left renal vein to cross anterior to the aorta and then pass behind, or posterior to, the IVC to drain into it. The other structures mentioned either do not pass posterior to the IVC, or in the case of the right hepatic artery and right renal artery, they pass close to or anterior to the IVC. The left renal artery also does not pass posterior to the IVC as it arises from the aorta and goes directly to the left kidney.