The anterior jugular vein is a

vein Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated ...

in the

neck The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the torso. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In ...

Structure

The anterior jugular vein lies lateral to the

cricothyroid ligament The cricothyroid ligament (also known as the cricothyroid membrane or cricovocal membrane) is a ligament in the neck. It connects the cricoid cartilage to the thyroid cartilage. It prevents these cartilages from moving too far apart. It is cut dur ...

. It begins near the

hyoid bone The hyoid bone (lingual bone or tongue-bone) () is a horseshoe-shaped bone situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. At rest, it lies between the base of the mandible and the third cervical verteb ...

by the confluence of several superficial veins from the submandibular region. Its tributaries are some laryngeal veins, and occasionally a small thyroid vein. It descends between the median line and the anterior border of the

sternocleidomastoid muscle The sternocleidomastoid muscle is one of the largest and most superficial cervical muscles. The primary actions of the muscle are rotation of the head to the opposite side and flexion of the neck. The sternocleidomastoid is innervated by the access ...

, and, at the lower part of the neck, passes beneath that muscle to open into the termination of the

external jugular vein The external jugular vein receives the greater part of the blood from the exterior of the cranium and the deep parts of the face, being formed by the junction of the posterior division of the retromandibular vein with the posterior auricular vein ...

, or, in some instances, into the

subclavian vein The subclavian vein is a paired large vein, one on either side of the body, that is responsible for draining blood from the upper extremities, allowing this blood to return to the heart. The left subclavian vein plays a key role in the absorptio ...

. Just above the sternum the two anterior jugular veins communicate by a transverse trunk, the

venous jugular arch Just above the sternum the two anterior jugular veins communicate by a transverse trunk, the jugular venous arch (or venous jugular arch), which receive tributaries from the inferior thyroid veins The inferior thyroid veins appear two, frequentl ...

, which receive tributaries from the inferior thyroid veins; each also communicates with the internal jugular. There are no valves in this vein. The pretracheal lymph nodes follow the anterior jugular vein on each side of the midline.

Variation

The anterior jugular vein varies considerably in size, bearing usually an inverse proportion to the external jugular. Most frequently, there are two anterior jugulars, a right and left. However, there is sometimes only one. A duplicate anterior jugular vein may be present on one side, which may cross over the midline.

Clinical significance

Ultrasound

The anterior jugular vein, if present, is easily identified using

ultrasound Ultrasound is sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is not different from "normal" (audible) sound in its physical properties, except that humans cannot hear it. This limit varies ...

of the

Tracheotomy

The anterior jugular vein may be damaged during

tracheotomy Tracheotomy (, ), or tracheostomy, is a surgical airway management procedure which consists of making an incision (cut) on the anterior aspect (front) of the neck and opening a direct airway through an incision in the trachea (windpipe). The r ...

, causing significant

bleeding Bleeding, hemorrhage, haemorrhage or blood loss, is blood escaping from the circulatory system from damaged blood vessels. Bleeding can occur internally, or externally either through a natural opening such as the mouth, nose, ear, urethra, vag ...

. The significant variation in vein course, such as duplicate veins, creates this risk. Performing a midline incision helps to avoid the anterior jugular vein.

Additional images

Image:Gray384.png, Section of the neck at about the level of the sixth

cervical vertebra In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In sa ...

. Image:Venenwinkel.png, Veins of the neck and chest

References

{{Authority control Veins of the head and neck