Dorsal Hand Veins Anatomy
Description:
- The dorsal hand veins are part of the superficial venous network of the hand.
- The dorsal hand veins drain blood from the dorsal side of the hand to the larger basilic, accessory cephalic, and cephalic veins in the forearm.
Diagrams & Photos
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Dorsal Veins of the forearm, wrist and hand. -
Dorsal Hand Veins at the distal 4th and 5th metacarpal level.
Key Points
- Veins have widely variable patterns; however, the individual patterns vary minimally from right to left.
- Hand veins drain via the cephalic vein, the accessory cephalic vein, and the basilic vein.
- The dorsal digital veins drain into the hand veins at the level of the MP joints.
- The veins of digits and hand are more numerous and larger proximally than distally.
- The digital and hand veins have bicuspid valves preventing retrograde flow.