External vertebral venous plexuses

Vein: External vertebral venous plexuses
Transverse section of a thoracic vertebra, showing the vertebral venous plexuses.
Median sagittal section of two thoracic vertebrae, showing the vertebral venous plexuses.
Latin	plexus venosi vertebrales externi
Gray's	subject #172 668
Dorlands / Elsevier	p_24/12648694

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

The external vertebral venous plexuses (extraspinal veins) best marked in the cervical region, consist of anterior and posterior plexuses which anastomose freely with each other.

• The anterior external plexuses lie in front of the bodies of the vertebræ, communicate with the basivertebral and intervertebral veins, and receive tributaries from the vertebral bodies.

• The posterior external plexuses are placed partly on the posterior surfaces of the vertebral arches and their processes, and partly between the deep dorsal muscles.

They are best developed in the cervical region, and there anastomose with the vertebral, occipital, and deep cervical veins.

External links

• Atlas of anatomy at UMich abdo_wall77 - "Venous Drainage of the Vertebral Column"

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.