Internal jugular vein

Dr Owen Kang ◉ and Dr Henry Knipe ◉ et al.

The internal jugular vein (IJV) is the major venous return from the brain, upper face and neck.

Gross anatomy

Origin and course

It is formed by the union of inferior petrosal and sigmoid dural venous sinuses in or just distal to the jugular foramen (forming the jugular bulb). It descends in the carotid sheath with the internal carotid artery. The vagus nerve (CN X) lies between the two.

After receiving tributaries from the face and neck (listed below) it continues to descend before descending into the thorax, usually between the heads of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, before uniting with the subclavian vein to form the brachiocephalic vein.

Tributaries

A handy mnemonic to recall the internal jugular vein is:

Medical Schools Let Fun People In

Relations

surrounded by accompanying lymph nodes
relation to internal carotid artery
- C2: posteriorly
- C3: posterolaterally
- C4: laterally
  - vagus nerve (CN X) always situated between the ICA and IJV
anteriorly (i.e. is crossed by these structures)
- upper third: spinal root of accessory nerve (CN XI)
- middle third: lower root of ansa cervicalis
- lower third: sternocleidomastoid muscle, tendon of omohyoid muscle
posteriorly (from superior to inferior as the IJV descends in the neck)
- lateral mass of C1 (atlas)
- middle scalene muscle
- anterior scalene muscle
- pleura of lung apices

Quiz questions

References

Head and neck anatomy

skeleton of the head and neck
- cranial vault
  - scalp (mnemonic)
    - galea aponeurotica
  - sutures
    - calvarial
    - facial
      - frontozygomatic suture
      - frontomaxillary suture
      - frontolacrimal suture
      - frontonasal suture
      - temporozygomatic suture
      - zygomaticomaxillary suture
      - parietotemporal suture (parietomastoid suture)
      - occipitotemporal suture (occipitomastoid suture)
      - sphenofrontal suture
      - sphenozygomatic suture
      - spheno-occipital suture
      - lacrimomaxillary suture
      - nasomaxillary suture
      - internasal suture
    - basal / internal
  - skull landmarks
    - nasion
    - glabella
    - bregma
    - vertex
    - lambda
    - inion
    - pterion
    - asterion
    - basion
    - opisthion
    - obelion
  - frontal bone
    - supratrochlear foramen
    - supra-orbital foramen
  - temporal bone
  - parietal bone
    - parietal foramen
  - occipital bone
    - clivus
      - inferior median clival canal
- skull base (foramina)
- facial bones
  - midline single bones
  - paired bilateral bones
- cervical spine
- hyoid bone
- laryngeal cartilages
muscles of the head and neck
- muscles of the tongue (mnemonic)
  - extrinsic muscles of the tongue
  - intrinsic muscles of the tongue
- muscles of mastication
- facial muscles
- muscles of the middle ear
  - stapedius muscle
  - tensor tympani muscle
- orbital muscles
  - extra-ocular muscles
  - levator palpebrae superioris
- muscles of the soft palate
- pharyngeal muscles
- suprahyoid muscles
- infrahyoid muscles
- intrinsic muscles of the larynx
- muscles of the neck
  - platysma
  - longus colli muscle
  - longus capitis muscle
  - scalenus anterior muscle
    - colliscalene triangle
  - scalenus medius muscle
  - scalenus posterior muscle
  - scalenus pleuralis muscle
  - sternocleidomastoid
  - suboccipital muscles
    - rectus capitis posterior major muscle
    - rectus capitis posterior minor muscle
    - obliquus capitis superior muscle
    - obliquus capitis inferior muscle
deep spaces of the neck
surgical triangles of the neck
- anterior triangle
- posterior triangle
  - occipital triangle
  - supraclavicular triangle
orbit
ear
paranasal sinuses
nasal cavity
oral cavity
pharynx
larynx
viscera of the neck
blood supply of the head and neck
- arterial supply
  - common carotid artery
- venous drainage
innervation of the head and neck
- cranial nerves
  - olfactory nerve (CN I)
  - optic nerve (CN II)
  - oculomotor nerve (CN III)
  - trochlear nerve (CN IV)
  - trigeminal nerve (mnemonic) (CN V)
    - ophthalmic division
      - tentorial nerve
      - frontal nerve
        
        supra-orbital nerve
        
        supratrochlear nerve
      - lacrimal nerve
      - nasociliary nerve
        
        small communicating branch to the ciliary ganglion
        
        short ciliary nerves
        
        long ciliary nerves
        
        infratrochlear nerve
        
        posterior ethmoidal nerve
        
        anterior ethmoidal nerve
    - maxillary division
    - mandibular division
  - abducens nerve (CN VI)
  - facial nerve (CN VII)
    - chorda tympani
    - nerve to stapedius
  - vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
  - glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
    - Jacobson nerve
  - vagus nerve (CN X)
    - recurrent laryngeal nerve
  - (spinal) accessory nerve (CN XI)
  - hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
- parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck
- greater occipital nerve
- cervical plexus
  - muscular branches
    - longus capitis
    - longus colli
    - scalenes
    - geniohyoid
    - thyrohyoid
    - ansa cervicalis
      - omohyoid (superior and inferior bellies separately)
      - sternothyroid
      - sternohyoid
    - phrenic nerve
    - contribution to the accessory nerve (CN XI)
  - cutaneous branches
- brachial plexus
- pharyngeal plexus
lymphatic drainage of the head and neck

Article information

rID: 24265

Systems: Head & Neck, Vascular

Section: Anatomy

Tags: refs, cases, anatomy rewrite

Synonyms or Alternate Spellings:

IJV
Internal jugular vein (IJV)
Internal jugular veins

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Cases and figures

Figure 1: head and neck veinsFigure 1: head and neck veins

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