Department of Anatomy, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
Medical Sciences Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
Surg Radiol Anat. 2024 Dec;46(12):1977-1981. doi: 10.1007/s00276-024-03501-y. Epub 2024 Oct 10.
The present study describes a rare anatomical variation of the anterior jugular vein (AJV) and discusses its clinical relevance.
A head and neck specimen fixed in 10% formaldehyde from a 42-year-old female cadaver was submitted to angio technique with pre-vulcanized latex and water-soluble ink. During a routine dissection for the discipline of topographic anatomy, the presence of an arcuate AJV was detected in the anterior triangle of the neck.
An arcuate AJV was formed by the confluence of the submental and facial veins in the left submandibular region, which presented a complex network of anastomoses superficially to the left submandibular gland. After its origin, this vessel curved to the right at the level of the laryngeal prominence and followed the medial border of the right sternohyoid muscle to flow into the right AJV. In this topography, the arcuate AJV was located between the sternocleidomastoid muscle's anterior margin and the thyroid gland's right lobe. The presence of anastomoses between the two AJVs communicating the submandibular triangles was not detected.
The arcuate AJV is a relevant anatomical variant in the superficial venous drainage of the neck that should be known by head and neck surgeons and radiologists to avoid surgical iatrogenic events.
本研究描述了颈前静脉（AJV）的一种罕见解剖变异，并讨论了其临床意义。
从一名 42 岁女性尸体的 10%甲醛固定头颈部标本中，采用预硫化乳胶和水溶性墨水进行血管造影技术。在进行局部解剖学常规解剖时，发现左侧颈前三角存在弧形 AJV。
左下颌下区的颏下静脉和面静脉汇合形成弧形 AJV，其表面与左下颌下腺形成复杂的吻合网络。该血管起源后，在喉结水平向右弯曲，沿右胸骨舌骨肌内侧缘汇入右 AJV。在此解剖位置，弧形 AJV位于胸锁乳突肌前缘和甲状腺右叶之间。未发现两个 AJV 之间有沟通下颌下三角的吻合支。
弧形 AJV 是颈部浅表静脉引流的一个重要解剖变异，头颈部外科医生和放射科医生应了解这一变异，以避免手术医源性事件。
