In
human anatomy, the brachial veins are
venae comitantes
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. B ...
of the
brachial artery in the
arm
In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between th ...
proper. Because they are deep to muscle, they are considered
deep vein
A deep vein is a vein that is deep in the body. This contrasts with superficial veins that are close to the body's surface.
Deep veins are almost always beside an artery with the same name (e.g. the femoral vein is beside the femoral artery). ...
s. Their course is that of the brachial artery (in reverse): they begin where
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 fr ...
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 ...
join (corresponding to the bifurcation of the brachial artery). They end at the inferior border of the
teres major
The teres major muscle is a muscle of the upper limb. It attaches to the scapula and the humerus and is one of the seven scapulohumeral muscles. It is a thick but somewhat flattened muscle.
The teres major muscle (from Latin ''teres'', meaning ...
muscle. At this point, the brachial veins join the
basilic vein
The basilic vein is a large superficial vein of the upper limb that helps drain parts of the hand and forearm. It originates on the medial (ulnar) side of the dorsal venous network of the hand and travels up the base of the forearm, where its c ...
to form the
axillary vein
In human anatomy, the axillary vein is a large blood vessel that conveys blood from the lateral aspect of the thorax, axilla (armpit) and upper limb toward the heart. There is one axillary vein on each side of the body.
Structure
Its origin ...
.
The brachial veins also have small tributaries that drain the
muscles of the upper arm, such as
biceps brachii muscle
The biceps or biceps brachii ( la, musculus biceps brachii, "two-headed muscle of the arm") is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Both heads of the muscle arise on the scapula and join t ...
and
triceps brachii muscle
The triceps, or triceps brachii (Latin for "three-headed muscle of the arm"), is a large muscle on the back of the upper limb of many vertebrates. It consists of 3 parts: the medial, lateral, and long head. It is the muscle principally respon ...
.
Additional Images
File:Slide8UUU.JPG, Brachial vein
File:Gray576.png, The veins of the right axilla
The axilla (also, armpit, underarm or oxter) is the area on the human body directly under the shoulder joint. It includes the axillary space, an anatomical space within the shoulder girdle between the arm and the thoracic cage, bounded superior ...
, viewed from in front.
External links
*
Diagram at frca.co.uk
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Veins of the upper limb