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# Anterior jugular vein

The anterior jugular vein is a small vein running down the front of the neck near the midline; it can bleed during a tracheostomy.

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## What it is

A small vein near the midline of the front of the neck.

## What it does

Can bleed during tracheostomy.

## Key points

- Paired vein that runs down the front of the neck just off the midline; low in the neck the two sides are usually joined by the jugular venous arch above the sternum
- Lies in the path of a midline tracheostomy or cricothyroidotomy, so it and the jugular venous arch are a common source of bleeding in anterior neck surgery
- Low in the neck it turns laterally, deep to the sternocleidomastoid, to end in the [external jugular vein](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/external-jugular-vein/) or the [subclavian vein](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/subclavian-veins/)

## Key facts

**Drains**
Front of the neck below the chin

**Into**
External jugular or subclavian vein (jugular venous arch links both)

## Relations

**Course**
Begins below the chin near the [hyoid bone](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/hyoid-bone/) from small submental veins, descends a little lateral to the midline over the strap muscles, then turns outward deep to the [sternocleidomastoid](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/sternocleidomastoid-muscle/) just above the [clavicle](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/clavicle/)

**Superficial**
[Skin](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/skin/), superficial fascia and, in its upper part, the [platysma](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/platysma/)

**Deep**
Infrahyoid (strap) muscles, the [sternohyoid](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/sternohyoid-muscle/) and [sternothyroid](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/sternothyroid-muscle/), with the larynx, [thyroid gland](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/thyroid-gland/) and [trachea](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/trachea/) beneath them

**Below**
Just above the [sternum](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/sternum/) it runs in the suprasternal space between layers of the investing fascia, where the jugular venous arch crosses from side to side

## How to find it

Often not visible. In a thin neck it may be seen a finger's width or two from the midline, filling when the person strains. In surgery it is met right after the skin and platysma, before the strap muscles are separated along the midline.

## On imaging

Ultrasound before a percutaneous tracheostomy or cricothyroidotomy maps the anterior jugular veins and the jugular venous arch over the trachea so the puncture avoids them; colour Doppler confirms flow. On contrast CT they lie just under the platysma beside the midline, in front of the strap muscles, and can enlarge as collateral routes when deeper veins are blocked.

## Clinical notes

- Tracheostomy: dissection stays in the midline between the two veins; the jugular venous arch low in the neck may need to be tied off
- Can be torn when skin flaps are raised in thyroid surgery or in penetrating injuries of the front of the neck
- It can enlarge as a collateral when the internal jugular or [brachiocephalic vein](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/brachiocephalic-vein/) is blocked (for example by a catheter-related clot), and a wide jugular venous arch makes low midline surgery bloodier

## Anatomical variants

- The paired veins may be replaced by a single median vein of the neck
- Its size tends to vary inversely with that of the external jugular vein: when one is large, the other is often small

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## What links the two anterior jugular veins low in the neck?

The jugular venous arch, above the sternum in the suprasternal space.

## Why is the anterior jugular vein a concern in tracheostomy?

It and the jugular venous arch lie in the path of a midline tracheostomy and are a common source of bleeding.

## Where does the anterior jugular vein end?

It turns laterally deep to the sternocleidomastoid to end in the external jugular or subclavian vein.

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

## Its names

**Official Latin (TA2)**
vena jugularis anterior TA2 4959

**Official Spanish (DeCS)**
Vena yugular anterior DeCS D007601

**English (TA2)**
Anterior jugular vein

**Also called**
vena jugular superficialis ventralis

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [DeCS](https://decs.bvsalud.org/es/ths/resource/?id=7769&filter=ths_termall&q=Jugular%20Veins); [Anatomy, Head and Neck, External Jugular Veins](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538222/); [Anatomy, Head and Neck: Anterior Cervical Region](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557475/).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/anterior-jugular-vein/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/anterior-jugular-vein/