Vein: Superficial temporal vein | |
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Veins of the head and neck. ("Sup. Temp." labeled at center, anterior to the ear.) | |
Bloodvessels of the eyelids, front view. (13, at left, is branch of the superficial temporal vein.) | |
Latin | venae temporales superficiales |
Gray's | subject #167 645 |
Drains from | temple, scalp |
Drains to | retromandibular vein |
Artery | superficial temporal artery |
The superficial temporal vein is a vein of the side of the head.
Contents |
It begins on the side and vertex of the skull in a plexus 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.
From this network frontal and parietal branches arise, and unite above the zygomatic arch to form the trunk of the vein, which is joined by the middle temporal vein emerging from the temporalis muscle.
It then crosses the posterior root of the zygomatic arch, enters the substance of the parotid gland, and unites with the internal maxillary vein to form the posterior facial vein.
The superficial temporal vein receives in its course the following:
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.
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