Anterior jugular vein

Dr Craig Hacking ◉ ◈ and Dr Henry Knipe ◉ ◈ et al.

The anterior jugular vein is a paired tributary of the external jugular vein.

Gross anatomy

Location

It arises beneath the chin in the region of the hyoid bone or suprahyoid neck.

Origin and course

The anterior jugular vein has its origin as the confluence of several small superficial submandibular veins. It descends near the midline, medial to the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and in its inferior path, superior to the sternum, is connected to the contralateral anterior jugular vein by the jugular (venous) arch.

Termination

It terminates by passing deep to sternocleidomastoid muscle to drain into the external jugular vein.

Tributaries

The vein often receives tributaries from:

laryngeal veins
small thyroid veins

Relations

It lies superficial to the sternocleidomastoid muscle, and superficial to the infrahyoid (strap) muscles.

Variant anatomy

it may drain into the subclavian vein directly

References

Anatomy: Head and neck

skeleton of the head and neck
- cranial vault
  - scalp (mnemonic)
    - galea aponeurotica
  - sutures
    - calvarial
    - facial
      - frontozygomatic suture
      - frontomaxillary suture
      - frontolacrimal suture
      - frontonasal suture
      - temporozygomatic suture
      - zygomaticomaxillary suture
      - parietotemporal suture (parietomastoid suture)
      - occipitotemporal suture (occipitomastoid suture)
      - sphenofrontal suture
      - sphenozygomatic suture
      - spheno-occipital suture (not a true suture)
      - lacrimomaxillary suture
      - nasomaxillary suture
      - internasal suture
    - basal/internal
  - skull landmarks
    - nasion
    - glabella
    - bregma
    - vertex
    - lambda
    - inion
    - pterion
    - asterion
    - basion
    - opisthion
    - obelion
  - frontal bone
    - supratrochlear foramen
    - supraorbital foramen
  - temporal bone
  - parietal bone
    - parietal foramen
  - occipital bone
    - clivus
      - inferior median clival canal
        foveola pharyngica recess
    - occipital condyle
- skull base (foramina)
- facial bones
  - midline single bones
  - paired bilateral bones
- cervical spine
- hyoid bone
- laryngeal cartilages
muscles of the head and neck
deep spaces of the neck
surgical triangles of the neck
- anterior triangle
- posterior triangle
  - occipital triangle
  - supraclavicular triangle
orbit
ear
paranasal sinuses
nose
- external nose
  - nasal cartilages
    - greater alar cartilage
    - lesser alar cartilage
    - septal cartilage
    - lateral cartilage
  - nasal vestibule
  - anterior naris
  - nasal ala
  - nasal sill
  - columella
- nasal septum
- pyriform aperture
- nasal cavity
- nasal concha
- Kiesselbach plexus
- Schneiderian epithelium
oral cavity
pharynx
larynx
- supraglottic space
- glottis
  - true vocal cords
    - anterior commissure of the larynx
  subglottic space
viscera of the neck
blood supply of the head and neck
- arterial supply
  - common carotid artery
- venous drainage
innervation of the head and neck
- cranial nerves
- parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck
- greater occipital nerve
- cervical plexus
  - muscular branches
    - longus capitis
    - longus colli
    - scalenes
    - geniohyoid
    - thyrohyoid
    - ansa cervicalis
      - omohyoid (superior and inferior bellies separately)
      - sternothyroid
      - sternohyoid
    - phrenic nerve
    - contribution to the accessory nerve (CN XI)
  - cutaneous branches
- brachial plexus
- pharyngeal plexus
lymphatic drainage of the head and neck

Article information

rID: 28494

System: Vascular, Head & Neck

Section: Anatomy

Synonyms or Alternate Spellings:

Anterior jugular vein (AJV)

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