Main Model
Left 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.