Drainage of the External Jugular vein Into the Internal Jugular Vein-A Rare Variation

Abstract

There are a number of variations of the superficial veins of the head and neck reported so far. Some are commonly found and some are present rarely. These are influencing the performance of surgeons operating in the head and neck region, clinicians as well as radiologists. Material and Methods-The present variation was noticed during routine dissection of head and neck of 48year old male adult cadaver in the Department of Anatomy. Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Vallah (Punjab). A rare variation of the drainage of the external jugular vein directly into the internal jugular vein on the right side was noted. The formation of the right external jugular vein was found normal. The veins on the left side were normal. The sites for long term central venous catheterization are the external jugular vein, internal jugular vein or subclavian vein. The present rare variation will alert clinicians and surgeons performing neck, vascular or reconstructive surgery about unexpected variations of the external jugular vein in the hope of preventing inadvertent injury.