Quick Facts
Origin: Superficial epigastric vein.
Course: Superiorly along anterolateral thoracic wall.
Tributaries: No named tributaries.
Drainage: Superficial region of anterolateral thoracic wall.
Origin
The thoracoepigastric vein arises from the superficial epigastric vein in the inguinal region (Moore et al., 2013).
Course
The thoracoepigastric vein courses superiorly within the subcutaneous tissue of the anterolateral thoracic wall. It ends by draining into the axillary vein directly or via the lateral thoracic vein (Standring, 2016).
Tributaries
There are no named tributaries.
Structures Drained
The thoracoepigastric vein drains the superficial portion of the anterolateral thoracic wall. It also provides a link between the femoral vein and the axillary vein, and thus, connects the regions drained by the inferior vena cava and superior vena cava. In cases where the inferior vena cava is blocked, the thoracoepigastric vein may be increased in size.
References
Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F. and Agur, A. M. R. (2013) Clinically Oriented Anatomy. Clinically Oriented Anatomy 7th edn.: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41 edn.: Elsevier Limited.
