Brachiocephalic vein

Brachiocephalic vein
The thyroid gland and its relations. (Label for "Right innom. vein" and "Left innom. vein" visible at bottom center.)
The arch of the aorta, and its branches. (Right innom. vein labeled at upper right; left innominate vein labeled at center top.)
Details
SourceInternal jugular
subclavian
superior intercostal
vertebral
inferior thyroid
Drains toSuperior vena cava
ArteryBrachiocephalic artery
Identifiers
Latinvena brachiocephalica
vena anonyma
MeSHD016121
TA98A12.3.04.001
TA24772
FMA4723
Anatomical terminology

The left and right brachiocephalic veins (previously called innominate veins) are major veins in the upper chest, formed by the union of the ipsilateral internal jugular vein and subclavian vein (the so-called venous angle) behind the sternoclavicular joint. The left brachiocephalic vein is more than twice the length of the right brachiocephalic vein.

These veins merge to form the superior vena cava, a great vessel, posterior to the junction of the first costal cartilage with the manubrium of the sternum.

The brachiocephalic veins are the major veins returning blood to the superior vena cava.

Left and right veins

Veins of the thoracic and abdominal regions

Left brachiocephalic vein

The left brachiocephalic vein is about 6cm, more than twice the length of the right brachiocephalic vein. and is formed by the confluence of the left subclavian and left internal jugular veins. In addition the left vein receives drainage from the following tributaries:

Right brachiocephalic vein

The right brachiocephalic vein is about 2.5cm long. The right vein is formed by the confluence of the right subclavian vein and the right internal jugular vein. It receives the following tributaries:

  • The right vertebral vein, the internal thoracic vein, and the thyroid veins, and occasionally from the first right posterior intercostal veins.

Embryological origin

The left brachiocephalic vein forms from the anastomosis formed between the left and right anterior cardinal veins when the caudal portion of the left anterior cardinal vein degenerates.[citation needed]

Additional images

See also



This page was last updated at 2024-01-20 09:54 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari