Anterior jugular vein

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Vein: Anterior jugular vein

The veins of the neck, viewed from in front. (Anterior jugular visible at center.)

Veins of the head and neck. (Anterior jugular visible at bottom right.)
Latin	vena jugularis anterior
Gray's	subject #168 647
MeSH	Jugular+Veins
Dorlands/Elsevier	v_05/12850745

The anterior jugular vein begins near the hyoid bone by the confluence of several superficial veins from the submaxillary region.

It descends between the median line and the anterior border of the Sternocleidomastoideus, and, at the lower part of the neck, passes beneath that muscle to open into the termination of the external jugular, or, in some instances, into the subclavian vein.

It varies considerably in size, bearing usually an inverse proportion to the external jugular; most frequently there are two anterior jugulars, a right and left; but sometimes only one.

Its tributaries are some laryngeal veins, and occasionally a small thyroid vein.

Just above the sternum the two anterior jugular veins communicate by a transverse trunk, the venous jugular arch, which receive tributaries from the inferior thyroid veins; each also communicates with the internal jugular.

There are no valves in this vein.

[edit] Additional images

Section of the neck at about the level of the sixth cervical vertebra.

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

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Veins of head and neck