Anatomical variations of cervical vein drainage in candidates for neck surgery

Abstract

The knowledge of both normal and abnormal anatomy of the veins of the neck may be important for surgeons performing neck surgery, to avoid inadvertent injury to vascular structures. In a 75-year-old man candidated to carotid endarterectomy preoperative CT-scan showed a rare anomaly of the venous drainage in the area of the anterior jugular vein (AJV), that usually begins in the suprahyoid region via the confluence of several superficial veins, to open into the ipsilateral external jugular vein. A large left sided venous trunk, originating from an anomalous proximal confluence with the internal jugular vein, descended in the AJV anatomical position, to cross over the sternum draining into the right subclavian vein. The knowledge of this abnormal anatomy allowed to perform a safe carotid bulb isolation avoiding inadvertent injury to vascular structures.