Facial vein

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Facial vein
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Veins of the head and neck (facial vein labeles as Anterior facial at right center, at cheek, to right of masseter)
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Dissection, showing salivary glands of right side (facial vein labeled as Anterior facial vein at bottom right)
Details
Drains from Angular vein
Drains to Internal jugular vein
Artery Facial artery
Identifiers
Latin vena facialis anterior
TA98 A12.3.05.018
TA2 4817
FMA 50874
Anatomical terminology

The facial vein (or anterior 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.

Contents

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. There are valves in the facial vein. [1] Its walls are not so flaccid as most superficial veins.

Path

From its origin it runs obliquely downward and backward, beneath the zygomaticus major muscle and zygomatic head of the levator labii superioris, descends along the anterior border and then on the superficial surface of the masseter, crosses over the body of the mandible, and passes obliquely backward, beneath the platysma and cervical fascia, superficial to the submandibular gland, the digastricus and stylohyoideus muscles.

Clinical significance

Thrombophlebitis of the facial vein, (inflammation of the facial vein with secondary clot formation) can result in pieces of an infected clot extending into the cavernous sinus, forming thrombophlebitis of the cavernous sinus. Infections may spread from the facial veins into the dural venous sinuses. Infections may also be introduced by facial lacerations and by bursting pimples in the areas drained by the facial vein. [2]

Additional images

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danger triangle of the face</span> Area of the face with blood supply that connects indirectly to the brain

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The internal carotid artery is an artery in the neck which supplies the anterior and middle cerebral circulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">External jugular vein</span> Large blood vessel

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superficial temporal artery</span> Major artery of the head

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavernous sinus</span> Sinus in the human head

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inferior ophthalmic vein</span> Vein of the orbit around the eye

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angular vein</span> Vein of the face

The angular vein is a vein of the face. It is the upper part of the facial vein, above its junction with the superior labial vein. It is formed by the junction of the supratrochlear vein and supraorbital vein, and joins with the superior labial vein. It drains the medial canthus, and parts of the nose and the upper lip. It can be a route of spread of infection from the danger triangle of the face to the cavernous sinus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petrous part of the temporal bone</span> Feature at the base of the human skull

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle cranial fossa</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carotid triangle</span>

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorsal veins of the penis</span>

In human male anatomy, the dorsal veins of the penis are blood vessels that drain the shaft, the skin and the glans of the human penis. They are typically located in the midline on the dorsal aspect of the penis and they comprise the superficial dorsal veinof the penis, that lies in the subcutaneous tissue of the shaft, and the deep dorsal veinof the penis, that lies beneath the deep fascia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sphenoparietal sinus</span>

The sphenoparietal sinus is a paired dural venous sinus situated along the posterior edge of the lesser wing of either sphenoid bone. It drains into the cavernous sinus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of human anatomy</span> Overview of and topical guide to human anatomy

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to human anatomy:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canine space</span>

The canine space, is a fascial space of the head and neck. It is a thin potential space on the face, and is paired on either side. It is located between the levator anguli oris muscle inferiorly and the levator labii superioris muscle superiorly. The term is derived from the fact that the space is in the region of the canine fossa, and that infections originating from the maxillary canine tooth may spread to involve the space. Infra-orbital is derived from infra- meaning below and orbit which refers to the eye socket.

References

  1. Zhang J, Stringer MD (July 2010). "Ophthalmic and facial veins are not valveless". Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 38 (5): 502–10. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9071.2010.02325.x. PMID   20491800.
  2. Moore, K (2018). Clinically oriented anatomy (Eighth ed.). Wolters Kluwer. p. 883. ISBN   9781496347213.

PD-icon.svgThis article incorporates text in the public domain from page 645 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)