| Facial vein | |
|---|---|
 Veins of the head and neck (facial vein labeles asAnterior facial at right center, at cheek, to right ofmasseter) | |
 Dissection, showingsalivary glands of right side (facial vein labeled asAnterior facial vein at bottom right) | |
| Details | |
| Drains from | Angular vein |
| Drains to | Internal jugular vein |
| Artery | Facial artery |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | vena facialis anterior |
| TA98 | A12.3.05.018 |
| TA2 | 4817 |
| FMA | 50874 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Thefacial vein (oranterior facial vein) is a relatively largevein in the humanface. It commences at the side of the root of thenose and is a direct continuation of theangular vein where it also receives a small nasal branch.
It lies behind thefacial artery and follows a less tortuous course. It receives blood from the external palatine vein before it either joins the anterior branch of theretromandibular vein to form thecommon facial vein, or drains directly into theinternal jugular vein. There are valves in the facial vein.[1] Its walls are not so flaccid as mostsuperficial veins.
From its origin it runs obliquely downward and backward, beneath thezygomaticus major muscle and zygomatic head of thelevator labii superioris, descends along the anterior border and then on the superficial surface of themasseter, crosses over the body of the mandible, and passes obliquely backward, beneath theplatysma andcervical fascia, superficial to thesubmandibular gland, thedigastricus andstylohyoideus muscles.
Thrombophlebitis of the facial vein, (inflammation of the facial vein with secondary clot formation) can result in pieces of an infected clot extending into thecavernous sinus, forming thrombophlebitis of the cavernous sinus. Infections may spread from the facial veins into thedural venous sinuses. Infections may also be introduced by facial lacerations and by bursting pimples in the areas drained by the facial vein.[2]
This article incorporates text in thepublic domain frompage 645 of the 20th edition ofGray's Anatomy(1918)
