Brachial veins
Venae brachiales
A pair of deep veins that run on either side of the brachial artery through the arm, from the elbow to teres major.
At a glance
- English
- Brachial veins
- Latin (TA2)
- Venae brachiales
- System
- Vein
- Region
- Upper limb
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the brachial veins
The brachial veins are the deep veins of the arm. They travel as two slim companions, or venae comitantes, one on each side of the brachial artery, and they are bound to it inside a shared fascial sheath. Lying beneath the muscles rather than in the subcutaneous fat, they belong to the deep venous system of the limb, in contrast to the superficial cephalic and basilic veins.
Their course mirrors the artery in reverse. They begin in front of the elbow, in the cubital fossa, where the radial and ulnar veins come together, at about the level where the brachial artery splits into its radial and ulnar branches. They then ascend along the medial side of the arm, in the groove between biceps and brachialis in front and triceps behind. Short cross-links often pass between the two veins round the front and back of the artery, so the arrangement looks like a ladder. Small tributaries join them from biceps, brachialis, triceps and the other arm muscles, together with veins matching the deep brachial artery.
At the lower border of teres major the brachial veins meet the basilic vein, which by this level has passed through the deep fascia. The three vessels unite to form the axillary vein. Sometimes the medial brachial vein joins the basilic vein lower down, so the exact point of union varies.
These veins matter in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis of the upper limb, which is now seen more often because of central lines and pacemaker leads. Ultrasound examines them by pressing gently with the probe: a healthy vein squashes flat, while one holding clot does not. Their close wrapping round the brachial artery also explains why arterial pulsation helps push blood up these veins.
Course and drainage
- Begins at
- Formed in the cubital fossa by the union of the radial and ulnar veins.
- Drains into
- Join the basilic vein at the lower border of teres major to form the axillary vein.
- Drains
- Drain the deep structures of the forearm and hand, through the radial and ulnar veins, and the muscles of the arm.
Anthromica
See the brachial veins where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
- Every layer, one body. Peel from muscle to bone, nerve, vessel and organ, and turn it any way.
- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
- Quiz until it sticks. Short drills on the structures you keep missing.
Free to start. No card.
