The posterior intercostal veins are
veins
Veins () are blood vessels in the circulatory system of 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 those of the pulmonary and fetal c ...
that drain the
intercostal space
The intercostal space (ICS) is the anatomic space between two ribs (Lat. costa). Since there are 12 ribs on each side, there are 11 intercostal spaces, each numbered for the rib superior to it.
Structures in intercostal space
* several kind ...
s posteriorly. They run with their corresponding
posterior intercostal artery
The intercostal arteries are a group of arteries passing within an intercostal space (the space between two adjacent ribs). There are 9 anterior and 11 posterior intercostal arteries on each side of the body. The anterior intercostal arteries a ...
on the underside of the rib, the vein superior to the artery. Each vein also gives off a dorsal branch that drains blood from the muscles of the back.
There are eleven posterior intercostal veins on each side. Their patterns are variable, but they are commonly arranged as:
* The 1st posterior intercostal vein,
supreme intercostal vein
The supreme intercostal vein (highest intercostal vein) is a paired vein that drains the first intercostal space on its corresponding side.
It usually drains into the brachiocephalic vein. Alternatively, it drains into the superior intercostal v ...
, drains into the
brachiocephalic vein
The left and right brachiocephalic veins (previously called innominate veins) are major veins in the Thorax, upper chest, formed by the union of the ipsilateral internal jugular vein and subclavian vein (the so-called venous angle) behind the ster ...
or the
vertebral vein
The vertebral vein is formed in the suboccipital triangle, from numerous small tributaries which spring from the internal vertebral venous plexuses and issue from the vertebral canal above the posterior arch of the atlas.
They unite with small ...
.
* The 2nd and 3rd (and often 4th) posterior intercostal veins drain into the
superior intercostal vein
The superior intercostal veins are two veins that drain the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th intercostal spaces, one vein for each side of the body.
Right superior intercostal vein
The right superior intercostal vein drains the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th posterior inter ...
.
* The remaining posterior intercostal veins drain into the
azygos vein
The azygos vein (from Ancient Greek ἄζυγος (ázugos), meaning 'unwedded' or 'unpaired') is a vein running up the right side of the thoracic vertebral column draining itself towards the superior vena cava. It connects the systems of superio ...
on the right, or the
hemiazygos and
accessory hemiazygos vein
The accessory hemiazygos vein, also called the superior hemiazygous vein, is a vein on the left side of the vertebral column that generally drains the fourth through eighth intercostal spaces on the left side of the body.
Structure
The accessor ...
on the left.
References
External links
* ()
* - "Mediastinum: The Sympathetic Ganglion and Sympathetic Trunk"
Thoracic veins
Veins of the torso
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