Common facial vein

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Common facial vein

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Veins of the head and neck.
Details
Source facial vein
Drains to jugular vein
Identifiers

Anatomical terminology

The Facial vein usually unites with the anterior branch of the Retromandibular vein to form the Common Facial Vein, which crosses the external carotid artery and enters the internal jugular vein at a variable point below the hyoid bone.

Facial vein

The facial vein is a relatively large vein in the human face. It commences at the side of the root of the nose and is a direct continuation of the angular vein where it also receives a small nasal branch. It lies behind the facial artery and follows a less tortuous course. It receives blood from the external palatine vein before it either joins the anterior branch of the retromandibular vein to form the common facial vein, or drains directly into the internal jugular vein.

Retromandibular vein

The retromandibular vein, formed by the union of the superficial temporal and maxillary veins, descends in the substance of the parotid gland, superficial to the external carotid artery but beneath the facial nerve, between the ramus of the mandible and the sternocleidomastoideus muscle.

External carotid artery major artery of the head and neck

The external carotid artery is a major artery of the head and neck. It arises from the common carotid artery when it splits into the external and internal carotid artery. It supplies blood to the face and neck.

From near its termination a communicating branch often runs down the anterior border of the Sternocleidomastoideus to join the lower part of the anterior jugular vein.

Anterior jugular vein

The anterior jugular vein is a vein in the neck. It begins near the hyoid bone by the confluence of several superficial veins from the submandibular region.

The common facial vein is not present in all individuals.

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Scalp anatomical area bordered by the face anteriorly and the neck to the sides and posteriorly

The scalp is the anatomical area bordered by the human face at the front, and by the neck at the sides and back.

Internal jugular vein paired vein collecting the blood from the brain, the superficial parts of the face, and the neck

The internal jugular vein is a paired jugular vein that collects blood from the brain and the superficial parts of the face and neck. The vein runs in the carotid sheath with the common carotid artery and vagus nerve.

External jugular vein

The external jugular vein receives the greater part of the blood from the exterior of the cranium and the deep parts of the face, being formed by the junction of the posterior division of the retromandibular vein with the posterior auricular vein.

Carotid sheath

The carotid sheath is an anatomical term for the fibrous connective tissue that surrounds the vascular compartment of the neck. It is part of the deep cervical fascia of the neck, below the superficial cervical fascia meaning the subcutaneous adipose tissue immediately beneath the skin.

Jugular foramen

The jugular foramen is a large foramen (aperture) in the base of the skull. It is located behind the carotid canal and is formed in front by the petrous portion of the temporal bone, and behind by the occipital bone; it is generally larger on the right than on the left side.

Posterior triangle of the neck

The posterior triangle is a region of the neck.

Pterygoid plexus

The pterygoid plexus is a venous plexus of considerable size, and is situated between the temporalis muscle and lateral pterygoid muscle, and partly between the two pterygoid muscles.

Lingual veins

The lingual veins begin on the dorsum, sides, and under surface of the tongue, and, passing backward along the course of the lingual artery, end in the internal jugular vein.

Superficial temporal vein

The superficial temporal vein is a vein of the side of the head. It begins on the side and vertex of the skull in a network of veins which communicates with the frontal vein and supraorbital vein, with the corresponding vein of the opposite side, and with the posterior auricular vein and occipital vein. It ultimately crosses the posterior root of the zygomatic arch, enters the parotid gland, and unites with the internal maxillary vein to form the posterior facial vein.

Posterior auricular vein

The posterior auricular vein begins upon the side of the head, in a plexus which communicates with the tributaries of the occipital vein and superficial temporal veins.

Petrous part of the temporal bone

The petrous part of the temporal bone is pyramid-shaped and is wedged in at the base of the skull between the sphenoid and occipital bones. Directed medially, forward, and a little upward, it presents a base, an apex, three surfaces, and three angles, and houses in its interior, the components of the inner ear. The petrous portion is among the most basal elements of the skull and forms part of the endocranium. Petrous comes from the Latin word petrosus, meaning "stone-like, hard". It is one of the densest bones in the body.

Marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve

The marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve passes forward beneath the platysma and depressor anguli oris, supplying the muscles of the lower lip and chin, and communicating with the mental branch of the inferior alveolar nerve.

Submental triangle

The submental triangle is a division of the anterior triangle of the neck.

Submandibular triangle

The submandibular triangle corresponds to the region of the neck immediately beneath the body of the mandible.

Carotid triangle

The carotid triangle is a portion of the anterior triangle of the neck.

Muscular triangle

The inferior carotid triangle, is bounded, in front, by the median line of the neck from the hyoid bone to the sternum; behind, by the anterior margin of the sternocleidomastoid; above, by the superior belly of the omohyoid.

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 645 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

The public domain consists of all the creative works to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable.

<i>Grays Anatomy</i> English-language textbook of human anatomy

Gray's Anatomy is an English language textbook of human anatomy originally written by Henry Gray and illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter. Earlier editions were called Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical, Anatomy of the Human Body and Gray's Anatomy: Descriptive and Applied, but the book's name is commonly shortened to, and later editions are titled, Gray's Anatomy. The book is widely regarded as an extremely influential work on the subject, and has continued to be revised and republished from its initial publication in 1858 to the present day. The latest edition of the book, the 41st, was published in September 2015.