Suboccipital venous plexus

Vein at the back of the head

Suboccipital venous plexus
Details
Source	occipital vein
Drains to	vertebral vein
Identifiers
Latin	plexus venosus suboccipitalis
TA98	A12.3.04.016
TA2	4784
FMA	50803
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

The suboccipital venous plexus drains deoxygenated blood from the back of the head.

It communicates with the external vertebral venous plexuses. The external vertebral venous plexuses travel inferiorly from this suboccipital region to drain into the brachiocephalic vein. The occipital vein joins in the formation of the plexus deep to the musculature of the back and from here drains into the external jugular vein.

The plexus surrounds segments of the vertebral artery.

Veins of the head and neck

External jugular

Retromandibular	maxillary pterygoid plexus superficial temporal anterior auricular
Direct	posterior auricular transverse cervical suprascapular anterior jugular jugular venous arch

Internal jugular

Diploic/brain

Cerebral

Superficial:	superior superficial middle inferior inferior anastomotic (Labbé) superior anastomotic (Trolard)
Deep:	great internal basal deep middle superior thalamostriate choroid septal

Cerebellar

Sinuses

To COS	superior sagittal straight inferior sagittal occipital
To CS	sphenoparietal intercavernous superior ophthalmic ethmoidal central retinal nasofrontal vorticose veins inferior ophthalmic
To IJV	sigmoid: transverse petrosquamous superior petrosal inferior petrosal basilar plexus internal auditory veins condylar