Veins of the Upper Limb

Arteries of the upper limb | Main Anatomy Index | Myotomes of the upper limb

Veins of the Upper Limb

Veins of the Hand

• The superficial and deep palmar arterial arches are accompanied by venae comitantes, known as the superficial and deep venous arches.

• The dorsal digital veins drain into three dorsal metacarpal veins, which unite to form a dorsal venous network.

• Located superficial to the metacarpus, this network is prolonged proximally as the cephalic vein, which winds superiorly around the lateral border of the forearm to its anterior surface.

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Veins of the Arm and Cubital Fossa

• Two deep brachial veins accompany the brachial artery.
• These veins and their connections encompass the artery in an anastomotic network. The pulsations of the brachial artery help to move the blood through this venous network.

• The brachial veins begin at the elbow, by the union of the venae comitantes of the ulnar and radial arteries, and they end in the axillary vein.
• The brachial veins contain valves and are connected at intervals by short transverse branches.
• Sometimes, the deep veins join to form one brachial vein during part of their course.

• The two main superficial veins of the arm are the cephalic and basilic veins.

The Cephalic Vein (p. 549)

• This vein is located in the superficial fascia along the anterolateral surface of the biceps brachii muscle and is often visible through the skin.
• Superiorly the cephalic vein passes between the deltoid and pectoralis major muscles and through the deltopectoral triangle, where it empties into the axillary vein.

The Basilic Vein (p. 549)

• This vein is also located in the superficial fascia and passes on the medial side of the inferior part of the arm.
• Near the junction of the middle and inferior thirds of the arm, the basilic vein passes deep to the brachial fascia and runs superiorly to the axilla.
• This vein becomes the axillary vein.

The Median Cubital Vein (p. 549)

• This vein forms the communication between the basilic and cephalic veins in the cubital fossa.
• It lies anterior to the bicipital aponeurosis.

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The Axillary Vein (p. 527)

• This large vessel lies on the medial side of the axillary artery.
• It completely overlaps the artery anteriorly when the arm is abducted.

• The axillary vein, the continuation of the basilic vein, begins at the inferior border of the teres major muscle.
• It ends lateral to the first rib, where it becomes the subclavian vein.

• The axillary vein receives tributaries that correspond to the branches of the axillary artery and at the inferior margin of the subscapularis muscle, the axillary vein receives the venae comitantes of the brachial artery.
• Superior to the pectoralis minor muscle, the axillary vein is joined by the cephalic vein.

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