Suboccipital venous plexus

Suboccipital venous plexus
Details
Latin	plexus venosus suboccipitalis
Source	occipital vein
Drains to	vertebral vein
Identifiers
Dorlands /Elsevier	p_24/12648677
TA	A12.3.04.016
FMA	50803
Anatomical terminology

The suboccipital venous plexus drains deoxygenated blood from the back of the head.

It communicates with the external vertebral venous plexuses. The external vertebral venous plexuses travel inferiorly from this suboccipital region to drain into the brachiocephalic vein. The occipital vein joins in the formation of the plexus deep to the musculature of the back and from here drains into the external jugular vein.

The plexus surrounds segments of the vertebral artery.

Retromandibular	maxillary pterygoid plexus superficial temporal anterior auricular

Direct	posterior auricular transverse cervical suprascapular anterior jugular jugular venous arch

Superficial:	superior superficial middle inferior inferior anastomotic (Labbé) superior anastomotic (Trolard)

Deep:	great internal basal deep middle superior thalamostriate

To COS	superior sagittal straight inferior sagittal occipital

To CS	sphenoparietal intercavernous superior ophthalmic ethmoidal central retinal nasofrontal vorticose veins inferior ophthalmic

To IJV	sigmoid: transverse petrosquamous superior petrosal inferior petrosal basilar plexus internal auditory veins condylar

Direct

Vertebral	occipital occipital emissary suboccipital venous plexus deep cervical

Direct	inferior thyroid inferior laryngeal thymic

Index of the circulatory system

Description	Anatomy Arteries head and neck arms chest abdomen legs Veins head and neck arms chest abdomen and pelvis legs Development Cells Physiology proteins

Disease	Congenital Neoplasms and cancer Lymphatic vessels Injury Vasculitis Other Symptoms and signs eponymous

Treatment	Procedures Drugs beta blockers channel blockers diuretics nonsympatholytic vasodilatory antihypertensives peripheral vasodilators renin–angiotensin system sympatholytic antihypertensives vasoprotectives