Anterior jugular vein variations in two cadavers and clinical implications: A case report

INTRODUCTION: Anterior jugular veins are a paired structure found on either side of the neck and are responsible for other veins in draining the head and neck regions.CASE: The variations reported here are from two male cadavers about 45 and 50 years of age who were being dissected routinely in the dissecting room. The first cadaver, which was the 50-year-old, had the normal formation of both anterior jugular veins (AVJ), but down in its course, the left and the AJVs join around the cricoid cartilage and continue down as a single vein running in the mid-line of the neck but ending by piercing deep to drain into the external jugular vein. The second cadaver was 45 years old. After forming the left AJV, the vein immediately crosses over to the right to run parallel to the right AJV before both joining to form a common vein and then piercing to drain in the external jugular vein (EJV).CONCLUSION: The knowledge of these variations has become very important for all health workers dealing with the neck surgically, radiologically or otherwise.