Quick Facts
Origin: Soft palate.
Course: Passes through the lesser palatine foramina in the hard palate and ascend through the palatine canal in the maxilla. It joins the greater palatine vein here.
Tributaries: None.
Drainage: Tissues and muscles of the soft palate.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The lesser palatine veins arise from the soft palate.
Course
The lesser palatine veins pass through the lesser palatine foramina in the posterolateral angle of the hard palate. These accompany their corresponding arterial palatine branches from the maxillary artery and ascend through the palatine canal in the maxilla. Here, they join with the greater palatine veins which course through the greater palatine foramina to enter the palatine canal. The palatine veins drain into the pterygoid plexus of veins inside the infratemporal fossa.
Tributaries
There are no named tributaries.
Structures Drained
The lesser palatine veins drain the soft palate.
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Vein
A venous sinus is a vein with a thin wall of endothelium that is devoid of smooth muscle to regulate its diameter.
