Just above the

sternum The sternum or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury. Sh ...

the two

anterior jugular veins The anterior jugular vein is a vein in the neck. Structure The anterior jugular vein lies lateral to the cricothyroid ligament. It begins near the hyoid bone by the confluence of several superficial veins from the submandibular region. Its t ...

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, frequently three or four, in number, and arise in the venous plexus on the thyroid gland, communicating with the middle and superior thyroid veins. While the superior and middle thyroid veins serve as direc ...

; each also communicates with the internal jugular. There are no valves in this vein.

References

Veins of the head and neck {{circulatory-stub