Vena comitans is Latin for accompanying vein. It refers to a vein that is usually paired, with both veins lying on the sides of an artery. They are found in close proximity to arteries so that the pulsations of the artery aid
venous return. Because they are generally found in pairs, they are often referred to by their plural form: venae comitantes.
Venae comitantes are usually found with certain smaller arteries, especially those in the extremities. Larger arteries, on the other hand, generally do not have venae comitantes. They usually have a single, similarly sized vein which is not as intimately associated with the artery.
Examples of arteries and their venae comitantes:
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Radial artery
In human anatomy, the radial artery is the main artery of the lateral aspect of the forearm.
Structure
The radial artery arises from the bifurcation of the brachial artery in the antecubital fossa. It runs distally on the anterior part of the f ...
and
radial veins
Radial is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
Mathematics and Direction
* Vector (geometric), a line
* Radius, adjective form of
* Radial distance, a directional coordinate in a polar coordinate system
* Radial set
* A bearing from ...
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Ulnar artery and
ulnar veins
In anatomy, the ulnar veins are venae comitantes for the ulnar artery. They mostly drain the medial aspect of the forearm. They arise in the hand and terminate when they join the radial veins to form the brachial veins.
They follow the same c ...
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Brachial artery
The brachial artery is the major blood vessel of the (upper) arm. It is the continuation of the axillary artery beyond the lower margin of teres major muscle. It continues down the ventral surface of the arm until it reaches the cubital fossa ...
and
brachial veins
In human anatomy, the brachial veins are venae comitantes of the brachial artery in the arm proper. Because they are deep to muscle, they are considered deep veins. Their course is that of the brachial artery (in reverse): they begin where r ...
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Anterior tibial artery and
anterior tibial veins
The anterior tibial vein is a vein in the lower leg.
In human anatomy, there are two anterior tibial veins. They originate and receive blood from the dorsal venous arch, on the back of the foot and empties into the popliteal vein.
The anterior ti ...
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Posterior tibial artery and
Posterior tibial veins
The posterior tibial veins are veins of the leg in humans. They drain the posterior compartment of the leg and the plantar surface of the foot to the popliteal vein.
Structure
The posterior tibial veins receive blood from the medial and latera ...
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Fibular artery
In anatomy, the fibular artery, also known as the peroneal artery, supplies blood to the lateral compartment of the leg. It arises from the tibial-fibular trunk.
Structure
The fibular artery arises from the bifurcation of tibial-fibular trunk int ...
and
Fibular veins
Examples of arteries that do not have venae comitantes (i.e. those that have "regular" veins):
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Axillary artery and the
axillary vein
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Subclavian artery
In human anatomy, the subclavian arteries are paired major arteries of the upper thorax, below the clavicle. They receive blood from the aortic arch. The left subclavian artery supplies blood to the left arm and the right subclavian artery supplie ...
and 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 absorption ...
External links
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Photo of Venae comitantes of the brachial artery
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Human anatomy