Veins of head and neck

The internal jugular vein (v. Jugularis interna) is a large vessel into which blood, from the head and neck, from the areas corresponding to the branching of the external and internal carotid and vertebral arteries, is collected, as well as into the external jugular vein.

The internal jugular vein is a direct extension of the sigmoid sinus of the hard shell of the brain. It begins at the level of the jugular opening, below which there is a small extension - the superior bulb of the internal jugular vein (bulbus superior venae jugularis). Initially, the vein goes behind the internal carotid artery, then laterally. Even below the vein is located behind the common carotid artery in general with it and the vagus nerve connective tissue (fascial) vagina. Above the junction with the subclavian vein, the inner jugular vein has a second extension - the lower bulb of the internal jugular vein (bulbus inferior venae jigularis), and above and below the bulb - one valve.

Through the sigmoid sinus, from which the internal jugular vein originates, the venous blood flows from the system of sinuses of the hard shell of the brain. In these sinuses, the superficial and deep veins of the brain - diploid, as well as the eye veins and veins of the labyrinth, which can be considered as intracranial tributaries of the internal jugular vein - fall into these sinuses.

Diploic veins (w. Diploicae) are valentine, blood flows from them from the bones of the skull. These thin-walled, relatively wide veins originate in the spongy substance of the bones of the cranial vault (previously they were called the veins of a spongy substance). In the cranial cavity, these veins communicate with the meningeal veins and sinuses of the hard shell of the brain, and outside by means of emissary veins - with the veins of the outer covering of the head. The largest diplic veins are the frontal diploic vein (v. Diploica frontalis), which runs into the superior sagittal sinus, the anterior temporal diploid vein (v. Diploica temporalis anterior) - in the wedge-parietal sinus, posterior temporal diploid vein (v. Diploica temporalis posterior ) - into the mastoid emissary vein and the occipital diplic vein (v. Diploica occipitalis) - into the transverse sinus or into the occipital emissary vein.

Sinuses of the hard shell of the brain with the help of emissary veins are connected to veins located in the outer covers of the head. Emissary veins (w. Emissariae) are located in small bony ducts, blood flows from the sinus to the outside, i. To the veins that collect blood from the outer covers of the head. A parietal emissary vein (v. Emissaria parietalis) is located, which passes through the parietal opening of the eponymous bone and connects the superior sagittal sinus with the external veins of the head. The mesenteric emissary vein (v. Emissaria mastoidea) is located in the canal of the mastoid process of the temporal bone. The condyle emissary vein (v. Emissaria condylaris) penetrates the condylar canal of the occipital bone. The mantle and mast emissary veins connect the sigmoid sinus with inflows of the occipital vein, and the condylar vein also with the veins of the external vertebral plexus.

Upper and lower ocular veins (vv. Ophthalmicae superior et inferior) are valvular. In the first of them, larger, the veins of the nose and forehead, the upper eyelid, the latticed bone, the lacrimal gland, the membranes of the eyeball and most of its muscles flow. The upper eye vein in the medial angle of the eye anastomoses with the facial vein (v. Facialis). The lower eye vein is formed from the veins of the lower eyelid, adjacent muscles of the eye, lies on the lower wall of the orbit under the optic nerve and runs into the upper eye vein that emerges from the orbit through the upper orbital fissure and empties into the cavernous sinus.

The veins of the labyrinth (vv. Labyrinthi) exit from it through the internal auditory canal and flow into the inferior inferior stony sine.

Extracranial inflows of the internal jugular vein:

1. pharyngeal veins (v. Pharyngeales) are valvular, carry blood from the pharyngeal plexus (plexus pharyngeus), which is located on the posterior surface of the pharynx. The venous blood flows from the pharynx, the auditory tube, the soft palate and the occipital part of the hard shell of the brain into this plexus;
2. the vaginal vein (v. Lingualis), which is formed by the dorsal veins of the tongue (v. Dorsales linguae), the deep vein of the tongue (v. Profunda linguae) and the sublingual vein (v. Sublingualis);
3. the upper thyroid vein (v. Thyroidea superior) sometimes flows into the facial vein, belongs to the same-named artery, and has valves. In the upper thyroid vein, the upper laryngeal vein (v. Laryngea superior) and the sternoclecho-mastoid vein (v. Sternocleidomastoidea) flow into the upper thyroid vein . In some cases, one of the thyroid veins goes laterally to the internal jugular vein and falls into it alone as the middle thyroid vein (v. Thyroidea media);
4. The facial vein (v. Facialis) falls into the internal jugular vein at the level of the hyoid bone. It falls into smaller veins forming in the soft tissues of the face: angular vein (v. Angularis), supraorbital vein (v. Supraorbital), veins of the upper and lower eyelids (vv. Palpebrales superioris et inferioris), external nasal veins (vv. Nasales externae), the upper and lower labial veins (v. Labiales superior et iferiores), the external palatine vein (v. Palatina externa), the submental vein (v. Submentalis), the veins of the parotid (vv. Parotidei), the deep vein of the face (v. Profunda faciei);
5. the submandibular vein (v. Retromandibularis) is a fairly large vessel. It goes in front of the auricle, passes through the parotid gland behind the branch of the lower jaw (outside of the external carotid artery), it flows into the internal jugular vein. In the submandibular vein, the anterior vascular veins (vv. Auricularesanteriores), superficial, middle and deep temporal veins (vv temporales superficiales, media et profundae), temporomandibular joint vein (vv. Articulares temporo-mandibulares), pteryus plexus pterygoides), into which the middle meningeal veins (w. Meningeae mediae), the veins of the parotid gland (vv. Parotideae), the veins of the middle ear (vv. Tympanicae) flow into.

The external jugular vein (v. Jugularis externa) is formed at the anterior margin of the sternocleidomastoid muscle by the fusion of its two inflows - the anterior one, which is an anastomosis with the submandibular vein flowing into the internal jugular vein, and the posterior ear, formed at the fusion of the occipital and posterior ear veins . The external jugular vein is directed down the front surface of the sternocleidomastoid muscle to the clavicle, perforates the pre-tracheal plate of the cervical fascia and falls into the angle of the fusion of the subclavian and internal jugular veins or the common trunk with the latter into the subclavian vein. At the level of its mouth and in the middle of the neck, this vein has two paired valves. The suprascapular vein (v. Suprascapularis) and transverse veins of the neck (vv. Transversae colli, s. Cervicis) enter the external jugular vein .

The anterior jugular vein (v. Jugularis anterior) is formed from small veins of the chin region, follows down in the anterior region of the neck, perforates the pre-tracheal plate of the cervical fascia, penetrates the interfascial supragranular space. In this space, the left and right anterior jugular veins are interconnected by a transverse anastomosis that forms the jugular venous arc (arcus venosus jugularis). This arc on the right and left falls into the external jugular vein of the corresponding side.

Subclavian vein (v. Subclavia) - unpaired trunk, is an extension of the axillary vein, runs in front of the front staircase from the lateral edge of the 1st rib to the sternoclavicular joint behind which it joins the internal jugular vein. At the beginning and at the end the subclavian vein has valves, there are no permanent inflows of the veins. Most often in the subclavian vein, the thoracic veins and the dorsal scapular vein enter.