Main Model


Right brachiocephalic vein

The right and left brachiocephalic veins are formed posterior to the sternoclavicular joints by the union of the internal jugular and subclavian veins. At the level of the inferior border of the 1st right costal cartilage, the brachiocephalic veins unite to form the superior vena cava. The left brachiocephalic vein is more than twice as long as the right brachiocephalic vein because it passes from the left to the right side, anterior to the roots of the three major branches of the arch of the aorta. The brachiocephalic veins shunt blood from the head, neck and upper limbs to the right atrium.