Posterior auricular vein - drains the area of scalp superior and posterior to the outer ear.

They are ultimately responsible for the venous drainage of the whole head and neck. There are three main jugular veins - external, internal and anterior. In this article, we shall look at the veins mentioned above, their anatomical course, and any clinical correlations.

Venous drainage of the neck: Carried out by the anterior jugular veins.

These empty into the internal and external jugular veins.

Venous drainage of the scalp and face: Drained by veins synonymous with the arteries of the face and scalp.

Venous drainage of the brain and meninges: Supplied by the dural venous sinuses.

Anatomically, the venous drainage can be divided into three parts: The veins of the head and neck collect deoxygenated blood and return it to the heart. This provides a potential pathway by which infection of the face can spread to the venous sinuses.

The facial vein is valveless – blood can reverse direction and flow from the facial vein to the cavernous sinus. The facial vein is connected to cavernous sinus via the superior ophthalmic vein. If the cavernous sinus becomes infected, these nerves are at risk of damage. Several nerves are located within the lateral wall of each sinus oculomotor (III), trochlear (IV), ophthalmic (V1) and maxillary (V2) nerves. Along with the internal carotid artery, the abducens (VI) nerve crosses the sinus. This allows for cooling of the arterial blood before it reaches the brain. Located within the cavernous sinus is the internal carotid artery, which crosses the sinus. The cavernous sinuses are a clinically important pair of dural sinuses. They are located next to the lateral aspect of the body of the sphenoid bone. This sinus receives blood from the superior and inferior ophthalmic veins, the middle superficial cerebral veins, and from another dural venous sinus the sphenoparietal sinus. These veins drain blood from the anterior face, trachea, thyroid, oesophagus, larynx, and muscles of the neck. Immediately prior to this, the inferior end of internal jugular vein dilates to form the inferior bulb. It has a valve that stops back-flow of blood.ĭuring its descent down the neck, the internal jugular vein receives blood from the facial, lingual, occipital, superior and middle thyroid veins. At the base of the neck, posteriorly to the sternal end of the clavicle, the IJV combines with the subclavian vein to form the brachiocephalic vein.

In the neck, the internal jugular vein descends within the carotid sheath, deep to the sternocleidomastoid muscle and lateral to the common carotid artery. It exits the skull via the jugular foramen. The internal jugular vein (IJV) begins in the cranial cavity as a continuation of the sigmoid sinus. The initial part of the internal jugular vein is dilated and is known as the superior bulb. Along its route down the neck, the EJV receives tributary veins – posterior external jugular, transverse cervical and suprascapular veins.įig 2 – Anterior view of the neck, showing the jugular veins Internal Jugular Vein In the root of the neck, the vein passes underneath the clavicle, and terminates by draining into the subclavian vein. It runs anteriorly to the sternocleidomastoid muscle, crossing it in an oblique, posterior and inferior direction. These two veins combine immediately posterior to the angle of mandible, and inferior to the outer ear, forming the external jugular vein.Īfter formation, the external jugular vein descends down the neck within the superficial fascia. Retromandibular vein (posterior branch) – itself formed by the maxillary and superficial temporal veins, which drain the face.Posterior auricular vein – drains the area of scalp superior and posterior to the outer ear.The external jugular vein and its tributaries supply the majority of the external face. There are three main jugular veins – external, internal and anterior.

Skeleton neck diagrams