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jugular vein
One of three veins on each side of the neck that return deoxygenated blood from the head to the heart. Of the three (internal, external, and anterior) by far the largest is the internal jugular, which corresponds to the common and internal portions of the carotid artery. It leaves the base of the skull as a continuation of the venous sinuses of the brain through a special foramen – in company with the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth cranial nerves and travels down the neck alongside the carotid artery, and passes behind the clavicle (collarbone), where it joins the subclavian vein (the large vein that drains blood from the arms) and forms the innominate vein.
There is no vein corresponding to the external carotid artery, but some veins from the face and scalp form the external jugular vein, which runs superficially over the sternomastoid and pierces the deep fascia of the clavicle to enter the subclavian vein.
The proximity of the jugular veins to the surface makes them liable to trauma with hemorrhage and aeroembolism.
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