Head and neck anatomy, Venous dr

A. Veins of the neck: Jugular veins

1. Internal jungular vein: Travels down within the carotid sheath and joins the subclavian vein to form the vrachiocephalic vein and its tributaries, including

The intracranial venous sinuses, lingual vein, pharyngeal vein, occipital vein,

Common facial vein, superior thyroid vein, and middle thyroid vein. The brachiocephalic vein terminates in the superior vena cava, which empties into the right atrium of the heart.

image.png

B. Veins of the cranium: venous drainage of the brain.

Pathway: Blood from the superior sagittal sinus, inferior sagittal sinus( via the straight sinus), and occipital sinuses drains at the confluence of sinuses, which is located in the posterior cranium.

From here, the blood flows through the transverse sinuses to the sigmoid sinuses, which ultimately empty into the internal jugular vein

Note: cerebrospinal fluid is drained via reabsorption into the superior sagittal sinus.

C. Veins of the face:

1.facial vein: Superfacial facial structures

Termination: joins with the retromandibular vein to form the common facial vein, which drains into the internal jugular vein.

Tributaries: supratrochlear, supraorbital, nasal superior and inferior labial, muscular, submental, tonsillar, and submandibular veins.

Dental significance: No vein valves

2.superior and inferior ophthalmic veins

Drain tissues of the orbit

Communicate with the facial vein via the supraorbital vein

Termination: facial vein and cavernous sinus.

3. Retromandibular veins

Formed by joining of the maxillary and superficial temporal veins in the parotid gland.

Termination: bifurcates into an anterior and posterior division. The anterior division descends and joins the facial vein to become the common facial vein, which terminates into the internal jugular vein. The posterior division terminates into the external jugular vein.

4.Pterygoid plexus

A network of veins located at the level of the pterygoid muscles that drains deoxygenated blood from deep facial tissues.

Termination: drains into the retromandibular vein via the maxillary veins.

image.png

Tributaries: Middle meningeal, infraorbital, sphenopalatine, muscular, buccal, palatine, inferior alveolar, and deep facial veins.

5.Cavernous sinuses

Both sides of the sella turcia of the sphenoid bone. The right and left cavernous sinuses are joined by the intercavernous sinuses.

Tributaries: Ophthalmic and external cerevral veins, sphenoparietal sinus, and pterygoid plexuses.

Structure:CN III, CN IV, CN V1, CN V2, CN VI, and the internal carotid artery

Termination: The superior and inferior petrosal sinuses.

Cavernous sinus thrombosis: the blood flow in the cavernous sinus is slow moving, dental or eye infections that spread to the cavernous sinuses can result in cavernous sinus thrombosis.

1. Superior ophthalmic vein- drains into the cavernous sinus

2. Deep facial vein- drains into the pterygoid plexus of veins, which drains into the cavernous sinus. The deep facial vein is tributary of the facial vein.