Bronchial vein
The bronchial veins are counterparts to the bronchial arteries and drain the bronchi, hilar structures and the mid-portion of the esophagus.
Gross anatomy
There is typically a single bronchial vein at each hilum, formed from the superficial bronchial veins with deep bronchial veins draining into the pulmonary veins.
Deep bronchial veins
The deep bronchial veins form from intrabronchial venous plexuses, which unite to form venous trunks that run along the bronchi and near the hilum, uniting to form deep bronchial veins. These veins drain either directly into the left atrium or into the pulmonary vein. Within the lung, there are significant anastamoses with the intrapulmonary pulmonary veins.
Superficial bronchial veins
The superficial bronchial veins consist of a subpleural venous network which receives tributaries from extra-pulmonary bronchi, hilar lymph nodes and the vaso vasorum of the hilar pulmonary vessels and unite to form a single bronchial vein at each hilum.
On the right they drain into the azygos vein. On the left they drain into the left superior intercostal vein, accessory hemiazygos vein or left brachiocephalic vein. At the hilum there is communication with the pulmonary veins.
Related Radiopaedia articles
Anatomy: Thoracic
- thoracic skeleton
- thoracic cage
- thoracic spine
- articulations
- muscles of the thorax
- diaphragm
- intercostal space
- intercostal muscles
- variant anatomy
- spaces of the thorax
- thoracic viscera
- tracheobronchial tree
-
lungs
-
bronchopulmonary segmental anatomy (Boyden Classification) (mnemonic)
- left lung
- right lung
- variant anatomy
- lung parenchyma
- hilum
- pleura
-
bronchopulmonary segmental anatomy (Boyden Classification) (mnemonic)
-
heart
- cardiac chambers
- heart valves
- pectinate muscles
- cardiac fibrous skeleton
-
coronary arteries
- coronary arterial dominance
- myocardial segments
-
left main coronary artery (LMCA)
- ramus intermedius artery (RI)
-
circumflex artery (LCx)
- obtuse marginal branches (OM1, OM2, etc))
- Kugel's artery
-
left anterior descending artery (LAD)
- diagonal branches (D1, D2, etc)
- septal perforators (S1, S2, etc)
-
right coronary artery (RCA)
- conus artery
- sinoatrial nodal artery
- acute marginal branches (AM1, AM2, etc)
- inferior interventricular artery (PDA)
- posterior left ventricular artery (PLV)
- congenital anomalies
- innervation of the heart
- fetal circulation
-
pericardium
- pericardial space
- oblique pericardial sinus
- transverse pericardial sinus
-
pericardial recesses
- aortic recesses
- pulmonic recesses
- postcaval recess
- pulmonary venous recesses
- pericardial ligaments
- epicardial fat pad
- esophagus
- thymus
- breast
- blood supply of the thorax
- arteries
- veins
- superior vena cava (SVC)
- inferior vena cava (IVC)
-
coronary veins
- cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- great cardiac vein
- middle cardiac vein
- small cardiac vein
- posterior vein of the left ventricle
- vein of Marshall (oblique vein of the left atrium)
- anterior cardiac veins
- venae cordis minimae (smallest cardiac veins or thebesian veins)
- cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- pulmonary veins
- thoracoepigastric vein
- lymphatics
- innervation of the thorax
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