Internal jugular vein: course from the jugular foramen to the venous angle

Where does the internal jugular vein run?

The internal carotid artery carries blood to the brain. How does that blood get back to the heart? Mainly through the internal jugular vein, deep in the neck.

In the view above the internal jugular veins are yellow, the common carotid arteries just medial to them are red, and the blue lines are the superficial external jugular veins. The internal jugular is the largest vein in the neck, usually larger on the right, and runs almost straight from the base of the skull to behind the clavicle.

Beginning: the jugular foramen

It begins at the jugular foramen. Blood from the brain collects in the dural venous sinuses, passes through the S-shaped sigmoid sinus, and leaves the skull here as the internal jugular vein. Its start is slightly dilated (the superior bulb), and there is a similar inferior bulb near its end.

In the neck: the carotid sheath

It runs lateral to the internal carotid artery above and the common carotid artery below, with the vagus nerve between and behind them; all three are enclosed in the carotid sheath, covered by the sternocleidomastoid. On the way down it receives the facial, lingual and thyroid veins, collecting blood from the face and neck as well as the brain.

End: the venous angle and brachiocephalic vein

Behind the medial end of the clavicle it joins the subclavian vein to form the brachiocephalic vein; the two brachiocephalic veins form the superior vena cava, which enters the right atrium. The angle of union is the venous angle, where the thoracic duct (left) and right lymphatic duct (right) return lymph to the blood. The pattern of union varies between people.

Name and terms

Jugular comes from the Latin jugulum, throat or collarbone region. Related terms: external jugular vein, jugular foramen, brachiocephalic vein, venous angle. The Latin is vena jugularis interna.

See it in the app

Overlapped by the sternocleidomastoid and the arteries, the internal jugular vein is hard to place in drawings. In the 3D anatomy app teamLabBody you can show only the vessels, select the vein and rotate to see its relation to the common carotid and its depth compared with the external jugular. Left and right can be selected separately. Cross sections are available with the PREMIUM plan.

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