Vein: Internal maxillary vein
Veins of the head and neck. (Internal maxillary vein visible at center.)
Lateral head anatomy detail
Latin	venae maxillares
Gray's	subject #167 646
Drains to	retromandibular vein
Artery	maxillary artery

The maxillary veins (internal maxillary vein in older sources) consist of a short trunk which accompanies the first part of the internal maxillary artery.

It is formed by a confluence of the veins of the pterygoid plexus, and passes backward between the sphenomandibular ligament and the neck of the mandible, and unites with the superficial temporal vein to form the retromandibular vein.

[edit] Additional images

Head anatomy anterior view

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.

v • d • e Veins (emissary, jugular and others) of head and neck (drainage patterns can vary) (TA A12.3.04-06, GA 7.644) External jugular Retromandibular maxillary (pterygoid plexus) · superficial temporal (anterior auricular) Direct posterior auricular transverse cervical · suprascapular · anterior jugular (jugular venous arch) Internal jugular Diploic/brain Cerebral Superficial cerebral veins: superior · superficial middle · inferior Deep cerebral veins: great · internal (basal, deep middle, superior thalamostriate) Cerebellar superior · inferior Sinuses To COS superior sagittal · straight (inferior sagittal) · occipital To CS sphenoparietal · intercavernous superior ophthalmic (ethmoidal, central retinal, nasofrontal, vorticose veins) · inferior ophthalmic To IJV sigmoid: transverse (petrosquamous) · superior petrosal inferior petrosal (basilar plexus, internal auditory veins) · condylar Facial/common facial frontal · supraorbital · angular · superior labial · inferior labial · deep facial Direct lingual (dorsal lingual, deep lingual, sublingual) · pharyngeal · superior thyroid (superior laryngeal) · middle thyroid Brachiocephalic Vertebral occipital (occipital emissary) · suboccipital venous plexus deep cervical Direct inferior thyroid (inferior laryngeal) · thymic

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