Cephalic vein
Vena cephalica
A superficial vein running up the radial side of the forearm and arm to the deltopectoral groove and axillary vein.
At a glance
- English
- Cephalic vein
- Latin (TA2)
- Vena cephalica
- System
- Vein
- Region
- Upper limb
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the cephalic vein
The cephalic vein is the lateral of the two main superficial veins of the upper limb. It begins at the radial end of the dorsal venous network of the hand, over the anatomical snuffbox, and climbs the lateral border of the forearm in the subcutaneous tissue, receiving small veins from both surfaces of the forearm.
In front of the elbow it gives off the median cubital vein, which passes obliquely upwards and medially to the basilic vein. Above the elbow it runs in the subcutaneous tissue beside the lateral border of biceps. At the shoulder it slips into the deltopectoral groove between deltoid and pectoralis major, then passes through the clavipectoral triangle, pierces the clavipectoral fascia and ends in the axillary vein just below the clavicle.
The name is a historical accident. When the medical Canon of Ibn Sina was put into medieval Latin, an Arabic word meaning outer was rendered by a word that actually refers to the head, and the label stuck. It has nothing to do with draining the head.
Because it is often visible and, in the deltopectoral groove, very constant in position, the cephalic vein is a useful route into the venous system. Cardiologists frequently pass permanent pacemaker and defibrillator leads through it at the shoulder, entering the vein by a small cut-down. Lower in the limb, wide-bore cannulas can be placed in it easily, which is helpful in an emergency. Near the wrist, however, branches of the superficial radial nerve lie close to the vein, and cannulation there can occasionally injure them and leave numbness or pain over the back of the thumb.
Course and drainage
- Begins at
- Arises from the radial side of the dorsal venous network of the hand.
- Drains into
- Ends in the axillary vein just below the clavicle after crossing the clavipectoral triangle and fascia.
- Drains
- Drains the skin and superficial tissues of the lateral hand, forearm and arm.
Anthromica
See the cephalic vein 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.
