Jugular vein
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Jugular vein | |
---|---|
Details | |
System | Circulatory system |
Drains from | Head |
Drains to | Brachiocephalic vein (internal), subclavian vein (external) |
Artery | Common carotid artery (internal) |
Identifiers | |
MeSH | D007601 |
Anatomical terminology |
The jugular veins are veins that take blood from the head back to the heart via the superior vena cava. The internal jugular vein descends next to the internal carotid artery and continues posteriorly to the sternocleidomastoid muscle.[1]
Structure and function
There are two sets of jugular veins: external and internal.
The left and right external jugular veins drain into the
Internal
The
External
The
There is also another minor jugular vein, the anterior jugular vein, draining the submaxillary region.
Clinical significance
Pressure
The
In the jugular veins pressure waveform, upward deflections correspond with (A) atrial contraction, (C) ventricular contraction (and resulting bulging of perspicuous into the right atrium during isovolumic systole), and (V) atrial venous filling. The downward deflections correspond with (X) the atrium relaxing (and the perspicuous valve moving downward) and (y) the filling of ventricle after the tricuspid opens.
Components include:
- The a peak is caused by the contraction of the right atrium.
- The av minimum is due to relaxation of the right atrium and closure of the tricuspid valve.
- The c peak reflects the pressure rise in the right ventricle early during systole and the resultant bulging of the tricuspid valve—which has just closed—into the right atrium.
- The x minimum occurs as the ventricle contracts and shortens during the ejection phase, later in systole. The shortening heart—with tricuspid valve still closed—pulls on valve opens, the v peak begins to wane.
- The y minimum reflects a fall in right atrial pressure during rapid ventricular filling, as blood leaves the right atrium through an open tricuspid valve and enters the right ventricle. The increase in venous pressure after the y minimum occurs as venous return continues in the face of reduced ventricular filling.
Diseases and conditions
The jugular vein is prominent in heart failure. When the patient is sitting or in a semirecumbent position, the height of the jugular veins and their pulsations provides an estimate of the central venous pressure and gives important information about whether the heart is keeping up with the demands on it or is failing.[4] Distension of the jugular is a potential sign of heart failure, cardiac tamponade, or coronary artery disease
Examination of the neck veins is routinely performed to evaluate atrial pressure and to estimate intravascular volume in patients with dyspnea, edema, or hypovolemia.[1] Elevated venous pressure may indicate left or right ventricular failure or heart disease.[1]
Symptoms associated with abnormal flow or pressure in the jugular veins include hearing loss, dizziness, blurry vision, swollen eyes, neck pain, headaches, and sleeping difficulty.
Idiomatic expression
The jugular vein is the subject of an idiom in the English language: "to go for the jugular" means to attack decisively at the weakest point.[5]
See also
- Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency
References
- ^ S2CID 228087316.
- ^ "Jugular vein definition - Medical Dictionary definitions of popular medical terms easily defined on MedTerms".
- ^ Rivard, Allyson B.; Kortz, Michael W.; Burns, Bracken (2022). Anatomy, Head and Neck, Internal Jugular Vein. Treasure Island (Fl): StatPearls Publishing.
- ^ "Medical Definition of Jugular vein". MedicineNet. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ "Definition of GO FOR THE JUGULAR". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022-11-08.