ORIGINAL ARTICLE Facial vein draining into external jugular vein in humans: its variations, phylogenetic retention and clinical relevance Received: 17 December 2001 / Accepted: 20 July 2002 / Published online: 21 January 2003 Ó Springer-Verlag 2003 Abstract The superficial veins, especially the external jugular vein (EJV), are increasingly being utilized for cannulation to conduct diagnostic procedures or intra- venous therapies. Ultrasound-guided venipuncture is a viable possibility in cases of variations in the patterns of superficial veins, and their knowledge is also important for surgeons doing reconstructive surgery. This study was done on 89 dissected adult cadavers (178 sides) and variations in patterns of termination of the facial vein (FV) into the EJV were studied. The FV in 16 sides (9%) was found to drain into the EJV, in two main patterns: type I and type II. Type I had the FV draining into the EJV with varying degrees of obliquity in a Y-shaped (6 cases, 37.5%), U-shaped (3 cases, 18.7%), tuning-fork- shaped (2 cases, 12.5%) or N-shaped (1 case, 6.2%) pattern. Type II showed an inverted A-shaped pattern (2 cases, 12.5%) or a stepladder-shaped pattern (2 cases, 12.5%) depending on the presence of one or more con- necting conduits between the FV and EJV respectively. In Macaca mulatta (rhesus monkey) a pair of vertically disposed, subcutaneous veins placed nearly side by side and of equal caliber were seen on each side of the neck. The lateral vein was the EJV while the medial one took the course of the FV in the upper oblique segment and ran parallel to the EJV in the lower segment over the sternocleidomastoid, with one or two transverse com- munications. The anomalous patterns found in our study could be explained in terms of the regression and reten- tion of various parts of the veins found in the rhesus monkey, or the drainage pattern found in horse, ox and dog, where the vein from the face drain into the external jugular vein, the internal jugular vein being either absent or a small vessel accompanying the carotid artery. The French version of this article is available in the form of electronic supplementary material and can be obtained by using the Springer Link server located at http:// dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00276-002-0080-z Drainage de la veine faciale dans la veine jugulaire externe chez l’homme: variations, signification phyloge´ nique et conse´quences cliniques Re´ sume´ Les veines superficielles, notamment la veine jugulaire externe, sont fre´ quemment ponctionne´ es a` vise´e diagnostique ou the´rapeutique intraveineuse. La ponction veineuse guide´e par e´chographie est possible. S’il existe des variations, leur connaissance est impor- tante pour les chirurgiens qui envisagent une chirurgie reconstructrice par exemple. Cette e´tude a e´te´ effectue´e sur 89 cadavres adultes (178 coˆte´s) et les variations de la terminaison de la veine faciale dans la veine jugulaire externe ont e´te´ e´tudie´es. Pour 16 coˆte´s (9%), la veine faciale se drainait dans la veine jugulaire externe selon deux types, le type I et II. Le type I voyait la veine faciale se drainer dans la veine jugulaire externe avec une ob- liquite´ variable, en forme de Y (6 fois, 37,5%), en forme de U (3 fois, 18,7%), en forme de diapason (2 cas, 12,5%) ou en forme de N (1 cas, 6,2%). Le type II de´crivait un aspect de A renverse´ (2 cas, 12,5%) ou un aspect en barreaux d’e´chelle (2 cas, 12,5%) en fonction de la pre´sence de communications plus ou moins nom- breuses entre la veine faciale et la veine jugulaire externe. Chez le singe rhe´sus Macaca mulatta, deux veines sous- cutane´es dispose´es verticalementsont place´es coˆ te a` coˆ te et de calibre e´gal de chaque coˆte´ du cou. La veine late´- rale correspond a` la veine jugulaire externe alors que la veine me´diale suit le trajet de la veine faciale, dans son segment supe´rieur oblique, puis court paralle`lement a` la Surg Radiol Anat (2003) 25: 36–41 DOI 10.1007/s00276-002-0080-z V. Gupta Æ A. Tuli Æ R. Choudhry Æ S. Agarwal A. Mangal The French version of this article is available in the form of elec- tronic supplementary material and can be obtained by using the Springer Link server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00276- 002-0080-z V. Gupta (&) Æ A. Tuli Æ R. Choudhry Æ S. Agarwal Æ A. Mangal Department of Anatomy, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Smt. Sucheta Kriplani Hospital, 110 001 New Delhi, India E-mail: agarwavi@hotmail.com Tel.: +91-98111-59811 Fax: +91-11-5265341 V. Gupta 13 Inder Enclave Paschim Vihar, 110 087 New Delhi, India