Ulnar veins

At a glance

English

Ulnar veins

Latin (TA2)

Venae ulnares

System

Vein

Region

Upper limb

Side

Paired, left and right

About the ulnar veins

The ulnar veins are the venae comitantes of the ulnar artery. As with other deep limb veins, two of them travel together, one on each side of the artery, joined by small cross-links. They mainly drain the medial part of the forearm and the ulnar side of the hand.

They arise in the hand, chiefly from the medial ends of the superficial and deep venous palmar arches, and they also receive the dorsal metacarpal veins from the medial side. At the wrist they pass with the ulnar artery lateral to the pisiform, superficial to the flexor retinaculum, close to the ulnar nerve which lies on the medial side of the artery.

In the forearm they climb with the artery deep to flexor carpi ulnaris and flexor digitorum superficialis, lying on flexor digitorum profundus. Along the way they receive muscular veins and the veins that accompany the anterior and posterior interosseous arteries, so blood from the deep extensor and flexor compartments also reaches them. They communicate with the superficial basilic and median antebrachial veins through perforators.

In the cubital fossa, below the elbow joint, the ulnar and radial veins merge, giving rise to the paired brachial veins, matching the point where the ulnar and radial arteries arise from the brachial artery. Their close association with the ulnar artery and nerve at the wrist explains why a deep cut on the medial wrist often injures all three, and why the vessels are repaired together in hand surgery.

Course and drainage

Begins at

Arise in the hand from the medial ends of the palmar venous arches.

Drains into

Merge with the radial veins in the cubital fossa, so beginning the brachial veins.

Drains

Drain the medial deep tissues of the forearm, the interosseous territory and the ulnar side of the hand.