Dorsal digital veins of hand

At a glance

English

Dorsal digital veins of hand

Latin (TA2)

Venae digitales dorsales manus

System

Vein

Region

Upper limb

Side

Paired, left and right

About the dorsal digital veins of hand

The dorsal digital veins are the superficial veins on the back of each finger. Two run along the dorsal aspect of each digit, one near each border, in the thin subcutaneous tissue above the extensor expansion. They collect blood from the skin of the back of the finger and from the nail bed region.

Along their course they are linked to each other by small transverse channels, and they communicate with the palmar digital veins through oblique intercapitular veins that pass between the heads of the metacarpals. This connection allows blood from the palmar side, where the skin is compressed during grip, to escape onto the back of the hand.

At the clefts between the fingers, the dorsal digital veins of adjacent sides join to form the dorsal metacarpal veins. These run proximally over the metacarpal spaces and open into the venous network on the back of the hand. The vein from the lateral side of the thumb and those from the medial side of the little finger tend to pass directly into the network or into the beginnings of the cephalic and basilic veins respectively.

Because the skin on the back of the fingers is thin and loose, these veins are often visible, especially when the hand hangs down. They are rarely used for access, but they explain why swelling after injury to the hand tends to collect on its back rather than in the palm: most venous and lymphatic flow runs to the dorsum, where the tissues can expand.

Course and drainage

Begins at

Begin along the dorsal borders of each finger, draining the skin of the back of the digit.

Drains into

Unite at the finger clefts to form the dorsal metacarpal veins, which run on into the venous mesh over the back of the hand.

Drains

Drain the superficial tissues on the back of the fingers and thumb.