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Information about Occipital Vein

Vein: Occipital vein
Veins of the head and neck. (Occipial visible at left.)
Latinvenae occipitales
subject #167 646
Drains fromscalp, occiput
Drains tosuboccipital venous plexus
Arteryoccipital artery
Dorlands/Elsevierv_05/12851133
The occipital vein begins in a plexus at the back part of the vertex of the skull.

From the plexus emerges a single vessel, which pierces the cranial attachment of the Trapezius and, dipping into the suboccipital triangle, joins the deep cervical and vertebral veins.

Occasionally it follows the course of the occipital artery and ends in the internal jugular; in other instances, it joins the posterior auricular vein and through it opens into the external jugular.

The parietal emissary vein connects it with the superior sagittal sinus; and as it passes across the mastoid portion of the temporal bone, it receives the mastoid emissary vein which connects it with the transverse sinus.

The occipital diploic vein sometimes joins it.

Additional images


Sagittal section of the skull, showing the sinuses of the dura.


External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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''For other uses of the word, see Scalp (disambiguation)
The scalp is the anatomical area bordered by the face anteriorly and the neck to the sides and posteriorly.
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The occiput is the anatomical term for the posterior portion of the head.

Clinical significance

Trauma to the occiput can cause a basilar skull fracture.

Identification of the location of the fetal occiput is important in obstetrics.
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The suboccipital venous plexus is a venous plexus which drains the back of the head.


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The occipital artery arise opposite the facial artery, its path is below the posterior belly of digastic to the occipital region. This artery supplies blood to the back of the scalp and sterno-mastoid muscles. Other muscles it supplies are deep muscles in the back and neck.
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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A plexus is a network. It has more specific meanings in multiple fields.

Biology

In biology it has multiple meanings.

Nervous system

In many animals the processes of neurons join together to form a plexus or nerve net.
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In arthropod and vertebrate anatomy, the vertex (or cranial vertex) refers to the upper surface of the head.

In humans, the vertex is formed by four bones of the skull: the frontal bone, the two parietal bones, and the occipital bone.
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skull is a bony structure found in many animals which serves as the general framework for the head. The skull supports the structures of the face and protects the head against injury.

The skull can be subdivided into two parts: the cranium and the mandible.
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This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers.
Please [improve the article] or discuss this issue on the talk page. This article has been tagged since December 2006.
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The suboccipital triangle is a region of the neck bounded by the following three muscles:
  • Rectus capitis posterior major - above and medially
  • Obliquus capitis superior - above and laterally
  • Obliquus capitis inferior - below and laterally

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Deep cervical is the attribution for either the:
  • Deep cervical artery
  • Deep cervical vein

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The vertebral vein is formed in the suboccipital triangle, from numerous small tributaries which spring from the internal vertebral venous plexuses and issue from the vertebral canal above the posterior arch of the atlas.
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The occipital artery arise opposite the facial artery, its path is below the posterior belly of digastic to the occipital region. This artery supplies blood to the back of the scalp and sterno-mastoid muscles. Other muscles it supplies are deep muscles in the back and neck.
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The internal jugular vein collects the blood from the brain, from the superficial parts of the face, and from the neck.

Path

It is directly continuous with the sigmoid sinus, and begins in the posterior compartment of the jugular foramen, at the base of the skull.
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The posterior auricular vein begins upon the side of the head, in a plexus which communicates with the tributaries of the occipital vein and superficial temporal veins.
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The external jugular vein receives the greater part of the blood from the exterior of the cranium and the deep parts of the face, being formed by the junction of the posterior division of the posterior facial with the posterior auricular vein.
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The superior sagittal sinus (also known as the superior longitudinal sinus), within a human head, is an area above/behind the brain, which allows blood veins to span the area, from the top of the head towards the back.
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The temporal bones are situated at the sides and base of the skull.

The temporal bone supports that part of the face known as the temple.

Parts

Each consists of five parts:
  • Squama temporalis
  • Mastoid portion
  • Petrous portion
  • Tympanic part

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The emissary veins are valveless veins which normally drain the intracranial venous sinuses to veins on the outside of the skull. However, because they are valveless, blood can flow into the skull through them as well, making them a possible route for transmission of extracranial
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transverse sinuses (left & right lateral sinuses), within a human head, are 2 areas beneath the brain, which allow blood veins to span the area, from the back of the head towards the nose.
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The diploic veins are found in the skull, and drain the diploic space. This is found in the bones of the vault of the skull, and is the marrow-containing area of cancellous bone between the inner and outer layers of compact bone.
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eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996 by Scott Plantz and Richard Lavely, two medical doctors. It was sold to WebMD in January 2006.
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Public domain comprises the body of knowledge and innovation (especially creative works such as writing, art, music, and inventions) in relation to which no person or other legal entity can establish or maintain proprietary interests within a particular legal jurisdiction.
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Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (or Gray's Anatomy as it has commonly been shortened) is an English-language human anatomy textbook widely regarded as a classic work on the subject.
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