Cephalic vein

Cephalic vein
Cephalic vein
	Veins of the upper limb
	The most frequent variations of the veins of the forearm
Details
Drains from	Dorsal venous network of hand
Drains to	Axillary vein and median cubital vein
Artery	Deltoid branch of thoracoacromial artery
Identifiers
Latin	vena cephalica
TA98	A12.3.08.015
TA2	4964
FMA	13324
	Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

In human anatomy, the cephalic vein (also called the antecubital vein)^[1] is a superficial vein in the arm. It originates from the radial end of the dorsal venous network of hand, and ascends along the radial (lateral) side of the arm before emptying into the axillary vein. At the elbow, it communicates with the basilic vein via the median cubital vein.

Anatomy

The cephalic vein is situated within the superficial fascia along the anterolateral surface of the biceps.^{[citation needed]}

Origin

The cephalic vein forms over the anatomical snuffbox at the radial end of the dorsal venous network of hand.^[2]^: 983

Course and relations

From its origin, it ascends up the lateral aspect of the radius.^[3]

Near the shoulder, the cephalic vein passes between the deltoid and pectoralis major muscles (deltopectoral groove) through the clavipectoral triangle, where it empties into the axillary vein.^[4]

Anastomoses

It communicates with the basilic vein via the median cubital vein at the elbow.^{[citation needed]}

Clinical significance

The cephalic vein is often visible through the skin, and its location in the deltopectoral groove is fairly consistent, making this site a good candidate for venous access. Permanent pacemaker leads are often placed in the cephalic vein in the deltopectoral groove. The vein may be used for intravenous access, as large bore cannula may be easily placed. However, the cannulation of a vein as close to the radial nerve as the cephalic vein can sometimes lead to nerve damage.^{[medical citation needed]}

History

Ordinarily the term cephalic refers to anatomy of the head. When the Persian Muslim physician Ibn Sīnā's Canon was translated into medieval Latin, cephalic was mistakenly chosen to render the Arabic term al-kífal, meaning "outer". In other words, there was a mistranslation, where "cephalic" was incorrectly used to represent the term "al-kífal."^[5]^[6]

Additional images

Cross-section through the middle of the forearm
The deep veins of the upper extremity
Cross-section through the middle of upper arm
(cephalic vein labeled at upper left)
Cephalic vein
Cephalic vein

References

^ Maalman, Raymond Saa-Eru; Donkor, Yaw Otchere; Ayamba, Ali M.; Abledu, Jubilant Kwame (February 21, 2018). "A Rare Anatomical Variation of the Termination of Right and Left Cephalic Veins". Case Reports in Vascular Medicine. 2018: 5809656. doi:10.1155/2018/5809656. ISSN 2090-6986. PMC 5841078. PMID 29682393.
^ Gray's anatomy : the anatomical basis of clinical practice. Susan Standring (Forty-second ed.). [New York]. 2021. ISBN 978-0-7020-7707-4. OCLC 1201341621.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
^ Gray's anatomy : the anatomical basis of clinical practice. Susan Standring (Forty-second ed.). [New York]. 2021. ISBN 978-0-7020-7707-4. OCLC 1201341621.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
^ Jobe, Christopher M.; Phipatanakul, Wesley P.; Petkovic, Djuro (2017), "Gross Anatomy of the Shoulder", Rockwood and Matsen's the Shoulder, Elsevier, pp. 35–94.e4, ISBN 978-0-323-29731-8, retrieved August 24, 2024
^ Diab, Mohammad (1999). Lexicon of orthopaedic etymology. Taylor & Francis. p. 54. ISBN 978-90-5702-597-6.
^ Swenson, Rand. "Etymology of shoulder and arm terms". Dartmouth Medical School: © O'Rahilly 2008. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2011.

External links

Anatomy photo:07:st-0702 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Radiology image: UpperLimb:18VenoFo from Radiology Atlas at SUNY Downstate Medical Center (need to enable Java)

[1] Maalman, Raymond Saa-Eru; Donkor, Yaw Otchere; Ayamba, Ali M.; Abledu, Jubilant Kwame (February 21, 2018). "A Rare Anatomical Variation of the Termination of Right and Left Cephalic Veins". Case Reports in Vascular Medicine. 2018: 5809656. doi:10.1155/2018/5809656. ISSN 2090-6986. PMC 5841078. PMID 29682393.

[:22-2] Gray's anatomy : the anatomical basis of clinical practice. Susan Standring (Forty-second ed.). [New York]. 2021. ISBN 978-0-7020-7707-4. OCLC 1201341621.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)

[:2-3] Gray's anatomy : the anatomical basis of clinical practice. Susan Standring (Forty-second ed.). [New York]. 2021. ISBN 978-0-7020-7707-4. OCLC 1201341621.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)

[4] Jobe, Christopher M.; Phipatanakul, Wesley P.; Petkovic, Djuro (2017), "Gross Anatomy of the Shoulder", Rockwood and Matsen's the Shoulder, Elsevier, pp. 35–94.e4, ISBN 978-0-323-29731-8, retrieved August 24, 2024

[5] Diab, Mohammad (1999). Lexicon of orthopaedic etymology. Taylor & Francis. p. 54. ISBN 978-90-5702-597-6.

[6] Swenson, Rand. "Etymology of shoulder and arm terms". Dartmouth Medical School: © O'Rahilly 2008. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2011.

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