Brachiocephalic vein

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Description:

The paired brachiocephalic veins receive numerous tributaries from the head, neck, upper limbs, and part of the thoracic wall before anastomosing to form the superior vena cava. The obliquely oriented left brachiocephalic vein is approximately twice as long as the vertically oriented right brachiocephalic vein. They both begin at the sternal end of the clavicle where the internal jugular and subclavian veins anastomose. They terminate where they join to form the superior vena cava posterior to the costal cartilage of the first rib near its junction with the sternum.