intercostal vein


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intercostal vein

Any of the veins that accompany the intercostal arteries and drain blood from the walls of the chest. The upper intercostal vein empties into the ipsilateral brachiocephalic or vertebral vein. Intercostal veins 2-4 merge to form the superior intercostal vein, which drains into the azygos vein on the right and the accessory hemiazygos vein on the left. Lower intercostal veins drain directly into the azygos vein on the right and the hemiazygos vein on the left.
Synonym: posterior intercostal vein
See also: vein
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References in periodicals archive ?
The right superior intercostal vein drained the upper four right posterior intercostal veins into the AV in 30 % of cadavers.
In 53 % of cadavers the left superior intercostal vein communicated with the azygos system, either directly without communicating with the AHV (7 % of cadavers) or via the AHV with or without communicating with the AV (46 % of cadavers): it drained into the left brachiocephalic vein in all cadavers.
The AV may have one or more origins, but usually drains the lower eight right posterior intercostal veins directly, as well as the right superior intercostal vein, which in turn drains the four upper right posteriorintercostal veins.
Anatomical Variations of the Azygos Venous System: Classification and Clinical Relevance/ Variaciones Anatomicas del Sistema Venoso Acigos: Clasificacion y Relevancia Clinica
All the right posterior intercostal veins are traced to the site of their termination into the azygos vein.
Study of azygos system and its variations
The interazygos veins can be formed by independent left posterior intercostal veins uniting to form a common trunk, the hemiazygos, accessory hemiazygos veins or the commonly found hemiazygos - accessory hemiazygos anastomosis (Celik et al, 1996; Gilkeson et al, 1997; Ozbek et al, 1999; Ozdemir et al, 2002).
Pre-aortic Inter-azygos Veins: Two Case Reports/ Venas Interacigos Pre-aorticas: Reporte de Dos Casos
Maksoud, "The second and third right posterior intercostal veins: an alternate route for central venous access with an implantable port in children," Journal of Pediatric Surgery, vol.
Port Placement via the Anterior Jugular Venous System: Case Report, Anatomic Considerations, and Literature Review

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