Cephalic and basilic veins: the superficial veins of the arm

Where do the two superficial veins run?

Look at the back of your hand: can you see a network of bluish veins under the skin? From it, one large vein runs up each side of the arm toward the shoulder: the cephalic vein laterally and the basilic vein medially.

Both are superficial veins under the skin, a separate system from the deep veins that run with the arteries between the muscles. In the view above the cephalic vein is yellow and the inner blue vein is the basilic. In Japanese they are named after the radius (thumb side) and ulna (little-finger side).

Cephalic vein: up the lateral side to the shoulder

It begins at the thumb side of the dorsal venous network of the hand, rises along the lateral forearm and the lateral side of the elbow, then follows the lateral border of the biceps. Near the shoulder it enters the groove between the deltoid and pectoralis major (the deltopectoral groove) and passes deep just below the clavicle to drain into the axillary vein.

Basilic vein: up the medial side, diving deep

It begins at the little-finger side of the dorsal venous network, rises along the medial forearm and the medial side of the elbow, and follows the medial border of the biceps. Unlike the cephalic vein, it pierces the deep fascia in mid-arm and joins the brachial veins to form the axillary vein. So both end in the axillary vein, but at different levels; the level of union and the branching pattern vary between people.

The median cubital vein

At the front of the elbow the two are linked by the median cubital vein, usually running up and medially from the cephalic to the basilic vein. In some patterns the median antebrachial vein joins here too.

Name and terms

Cephalic means of the head, and basilic is said to come from an Arabic word meaning inner. The origins are debated, and why an arm vein should be named for the head is unclear. The Latin names are vena cephalica and vena basilica.

See it in the app

Superficial veins look different in everyone, and above the elbow they are hard to see on your own arm. In the 3D anatomy app teamLabBody you can show only the vessels, select the two veins and follow them from wrist to shoulder, seeing where the basilic joins the deep veins and how the cephalic turns into the front of the shoulder. Add the muscles to see their relation to the biceps and deltoid. Cross sections are available with the PREMIUM plan.

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