Dorsal venous network of hand
Rete venosum dorsale manus
A web of superficial veins on the back of the hand that collects the finger veins and gives rise to the cephalic and basilic veins.
At a glance
- English
- Dorsal venous network of hand
- Latin (TA2)
- Rete venosum dorsale manus
- System
- Vein
- Region
- Upper limb
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the dorsal venous network of hand
This network is the irregular mesh of veins lying in the superficial fascia over the back of the hand. It is usually easy to see, especially when the hand is lowered or warm, and it sits on top of the extensor tendons rather than among them.
It is built from the dorsal metacarpal veins. These are formed at the finger clefts by the joining of dorsal digital veins from the adjacent sides of neighbouring fingers, and they run up over the metacarpal spaces before merging into the network. The network also receives perforating veins from the deep palmar veins, which pass through the interosseous spaces, and blood from the palm reaches it through the intercapitular veins between the metacarpal heads. Much of the venous return from the hand therefore ends up here.
At its two ends the network continues into the main superficial veins of the upper limb. The lateral end, joined by veins from the thumb, becomes the cephalic vein, which passes over the anatomical snuffbox. The medial end, joined by veins from the little finger, becomes the basilic vein, which winds onto the front of the forearm along its ulnar border. The shape of the network between these two points varies a great deal and often forms an arch.
These veins are among the commonest sites for an intravenous cannula, because they are superficial, held fairly still by the underlying tendons and easy to see. They are also a useful route in children. Superficial branches of the radial and ulnar nerves run among the veins on the back of the hand, which is one reason a cannula there can sometimes cause tingling.
Course and drainage
- Begins at
- Built from the dorsal metacarpal veins, which arise from the dorsal digital veins of the fingers.
- Drains into
- Continues laterally as the cephalic vein and medially as the basilic vein.
- Drains
- Drains the skin and superficial tissues of the fingers and the back of the hand, and receives blood from the palm.
Anthromica
See the dorsal venous network of hand 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.
