The facial vein usually unites with the anterior branch of the retromandibular vein to form the common facial vein, which crosses the external carotid artery and enters the

internal jugular vein The internal jugular vein is a paired jugular vein that collects blood from the brain and the superficial parts of the face and neck. This vein runs in the carotid sheath with the common carotid artery and vagus nerve. It begins in the post ...

at a variable point below 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 ...

. From near its termination a communicating branch often runs down the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoideus to join the lower part of the anterior jugular vein. The common facial vein is not present in all individuals.

References

External links

* () Veins of the head and neck Common vein {{Portal bar, Anatomy