Brachiocephalic vein
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Henry Knipe had no recorded disclosures.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Jordan Southi had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Jordan Southi's current disclosures- Brachiocephalic veins
- Brachiocephalic vein (BCV)
- Innominate veins
- Innominate vein
- Innominate vein (IV)
- Left brachiocephalic vein
- Right brachiocephalic vein
- Left innominate vein
- Right innominate vein
The brachiocephalic veins, previously known as the innominate veins, are large paired valveless asymmetric central veins that drain the head, neck, upper limbs and part of the thorax and mediastinum.
Gross anatomy
Origin
In the root of the neck, the internal jugular (IJV) and subclavian veins unite to form the brachiocephalic veins posterior to the medial ends of the clavicles.
Course
The left brachiocephalic vein is approximately 6 cm long and runs a long, oblique course to the right through the superior mediastinum anterior to the branches of the aortic arch to unite with the right brachiocephalic vein posterior to the first sternocostal joint to form the superior vena cava.
The right brachiocephalic vein is much shorter, approximately 2.5 cm long and runs a vertical course anterior to the brachiocephalic trunk. It becomes the superior vena cava as it is joined from the left by the left brachiocephalic vein.
Tributaries
Right brachiocephalic vein
right vertebral vein
right inferior thyroid vein
right internal thoracic vein
right supreme intercostal vein
right pericardiophrenic vein
NB: on the right the superior intercostal vein usually drains into the azygos vein
Left brachiocephalic vein
left vertebral vein
Relations
anteriorly: pleura, upper lobes, thymus, manubrium, strap muscles (sternohyoid muscle, sternothyroid muscle)
posteriorly: aortic arch (left brachiocephalic vein), great vessels, the dome of the pleura, vagus nerve
Variant anatomy
retroesophageal and retrotracheal left brachiocephalic vein
double left brachiocephalic vein
absent left brachiocephalic vein with persistent left superior vena cava
References
- 1. Rosse C, Gaddum-Rosse P. Hollinshead's textbook of anatomy. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. (1997) ISBN:0397512562. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Ryan S, McNicholas M, Eustace S. Anatomy for Diagnostic Imaging 2e. Saunders Ltd. (2004) ISBN:0702026204. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Schumacher U. Thieme atlas of anatomy. Thieme Georg Verlag. ISBN:313142091X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 4. Renan Uflacker. Atlas of Vascular Anatomy. (2018) ISBN: 9780781760812
- 5. Karl K, Sinkovskaya E, Abuhamad A, Chaoui R. Intrathymic and Other Anomalous Courses of the Left Brachiocephalic Vein in the Fetus. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2016;48(4):464-9. doi:10.1002/uog.15795 - Pubmed
- 6. Lawler L & Fishman E. Pericardial Varices. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2001;177(1):202-4. doi:10.2214/ajr.177.1.1770202 - Pubmed
Incoming Links
- Bronchial vein
- Inferior thyroid vein
- Thoracic duct
- Internal thoracic vein
- Intravascular lipoma
- Cervical thymus
- Bronchomediastinal trunk
- Jugular trunk
- Jugular venous catheters
- Larynx
- Accessory hemiazygos vein
- Left superior intercostal vein
- Thyroid gland
- Pneumothorax
- Pericardiophrenic vein
- Esophagus
- Normal contours of the cardiomediastinum on chest radiography
- Mediastinum (ITMIG classification)
- Subclavian vein
- Left paramediastinal catheter position (differential)
- Retro-aortic left brachiocephalic vein
- Normal left subclavian venogram
- Cephalic venous thrombosis in arteriovenous fistula
- Brachiocephalic venous stent
- Retained branula (foreign body)
- Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return
- Truncal venous development (Gray's illustration)
- IJV catheter in left upper lobe partial anomalous pulmonary venous return
- Lemierre syndrome
- Brachiocephalic and superior vena cava stenosis
- Thymoma - stage 1 of Masaoka staging system
- Mediastinal hydatid disease
- Bronchiectasis and incidental accessory hemiazygos vein
- Bovine aortic arch / right internal mammary vein drains into the superior vena cava
- Retro-aortic left brachiocephalic vein
- Aortic nipple
- Thrombus around central venous catheter tip
- Great vessels (Gray's illustration)
- Infundibular pulmonary stenosis
- Thymic vein on CT
Related articles: Anatomy: Thoracic
- thoracic skeleton
- thoracic cage
- thoracic spine
- articulations
- muscles of the thorax
- diaphragm
- intercostal space
- intercostal muscles
- variant anatomy
- spaces of the thorax
- thoracic viscera
- lower respiratory tract
-
heart
- cardiac chambers
- heart valves
- cardiac fibrous skeleton
- innervation of the heart
- development of the heart
- cardiac wall
-
pericardium
- epicardium
- epicardial fat pad
- pericardial space
- oblique pericardial sinus
- transverse pericardial sinus
-
pericardial recesses
- aortic recesses
- pulmonic recesses
- postcaval recess
- pulmonary venous recesses
- pericardial ligaments
- myocardium
- endocardium
-
pericardium
- esophagus
- thymus
- breast
- arterial supply of the thorax
-
thoracic aorta (development)
-
ascending aorta
-
aortic root
- aortic annulus
-
coronary arteries
- coronary arterial dominance
- myocardial segments
-
left main coronary artery (LMCA)
- ramus intermedius artery (RI)
-
circumflex artery (LCx)
- obtuse marginal branches (OM1, OM2, etc))
- Kugel's artery
-
left anterior descending artery (LAD)
- diagonal branches (D1, D2, etc)
- septal perforators (S1, S2, etc)
-
right coronary artery (RCA)
- conus artery
- sinoatrial nodal artery
- acute marginal branches (AM1, AM2, etc)
- inferior interventricular artery (PDA)
- posterior left ventricular artery (PLV)
- congenital anomalies
- sinotubular junction
-
aortic root
- aortic arch
- aortic isthmus
- descending aorta
-
ascending aorta
- pulmonary trunk
-
thoracic aorta (development)
- venous drainage of the thorax
- superior vena cava (SVC)
- inferior vena cava (IVC)
-
coronary veins
-
cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- great cardiac vein
- middle cardiac vein
- small cardiac vein
- posterior vein of the left ventricle
- vein of Marshall (oblique vein of the left atrium)
- anterior cardiac veins
- venae cordis minimae (smallest cardiac veins or thebesian veins)
-
cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- pulmonary veins
- bronchial veins
- thoracoepigastric vein
- lymphatics of the thorax
- innervation of the thorax