Variation of the veins of the head and neck – external jugular vein and facial vein

Knowledge of the variation of the veins of the head and neck, especially the variations of external jugular vein and the facial vein are important as they are used for various clinical procedures. External jugular veins are used for catheterization and as a venous manometer. Facial vein can be used as patches for carotid endarterectomy. Here we describe a variation of the external jugular vein and the facial vein on the right side of a cadaver. The external jugular vein was not seen. The posterior auricular vein was draining into the internal jugular vein. The retromandibular vein had no divisions; it was joining the facial vein to form the common facial vein which in turn was seen to be draining into the posterior auricular vein.