Vertebral vein
Encyclopedia
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 veins from the deep muscles at the upper part of the back of the neck
, and form a vessel which enters the foramen in the transverse process of the atlas, and descends, forming a dense plexus around the vertebral artery
, in the canal formed by the foramina transversaria of the cervical vertebrae
.
This plexus ends in a single trunk, which emerges from the foramen transversarium of the sixth cervical vertebra, and opens at the root of the neck into the back part of the innominate vein near its origin, its mouth being guarded by a pair of valves.
On the right side, it crosses the first part of the subclavian artery
.
Suboccipital triangle
The suboccipital triangle is a region of the neck bounded by the following three muscles of the suboccipital group of muscles:* Rectus capitis posterior major - above and medially* Obliquus capitis superior - above and laterally...
, from numerous small tributaries which spring from the internal vertebral venous plexuses
Internal vertebral venous plexuses
The internal vertebral venous plexuses lie within the vertebral canal in the epidural space, and receive tributaries from the bones and from the medulla spinalis....
and issue from the vertebral canal above the posterior arch of the atlas
Atlas (anatomy)
In anatomy, the atlas is the most superior cervical vertebra of the spine.It is named for the Atlas of Greek mythology, because it supports the globe of the head....
.
They unite with small veins from the deep muscles at the upper part of the back of the neck
Neck
The neck is the part of the body, on many terrestrial or secondarily aquatic vertebrates, that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. The adjective signifying "of the neck" is cervical .-Boner anatomy: The cervical spine:The cervical portion of the human spine comprises seven boney...
, and form a vessel which enters the foramen in the transverse process of the atlas, and descends, forming a dense plexus around the vertebral artery
Vertebral artery
The vertebral arteries are major arteries of the neck. They branch from the subclavian arteries and merge to form the single midline basilar artery in a complex called the vertebrobasilar system, which supplies blood to the posterior part of the circle of Willis and thus significant portions of the...
, in the canal formed by the foramina transversaria of the cervical vertebrae
Cervical vertebrae
In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae are those vertebrae immediately inferior to the skull.Thoracic vertebrae in all mammalian species are defined as those vertebrae that also carry a pair of ribs, and lie caudal to the cervical vertebrae. Further caudally follow the lumbar vertebrae, which also...
.
This plexus ends in a single trunk, which emerges from the foramen transversarium of the sixth cervical vertebra, and opens at the root of the neck into the back part of the innominate vein near its origin, its mouth being guarded by a pair of valves.
On the right side, it crosses the first part of the subclavian artery
Subclavian artery
In human anatomy, the subclavian arteries are two major arteries of the upper thorax , below the clavicle . They receive blood from the top of the aorta...
.