Arcuate anterior jugular vein: a rare case report and its clinical relevance.

Objective: The present study describes a rare anatomical variation of the anterior jugular vein (AJV) and discusses its clinical relevance.

Methods: A head and neck specimen fixed in 10% formaldehyde from a 42-year-old female cadaver was submitted to angio technique with pre-vulcanized latex and water-soluble ink. During a routine dissection for the discipline of topographic anatomy, the presence of an arcuate AJV was detected in the anterior triangle of the neck.

Results: An arcuate AJV was formed by the confluence of the submental and facial veins in the left submandibular region, which presented a complex network of anastomoses superficially to the left submandibular gland. After its origin, this vessel curved to the right at the level of the laryngeal prominence and followed the medial border of the right sternohyoid muscle to flow into the right AJV. In this topography, the arcuate AJV was located between the sternocleidomastoid muscle's anterior margin and the thyroid gland's right lobe. The presence of anastomoses between the two AJVs communicating the submandibular triangles was not detected.

Conclusion: The arcuate AJV is a relevant anatomical variant in the superficial venous drainage of the neck that should be known by head and neck surgeons and radiologists to avoid surgical iatrogenic events.