Anatomy study note · Upper limb

Basilic vein

The superficial vein of the medial side of the upper limb. It joins the venae comitantes of the brachial artery to form the axillary vein.

Key points

• Medial end of the dorsal venous arch.
• Pierces the deep fascia mid-arm.
• + venae comitantes of brachial artery = axillary vein (lower border of teres major).
• Best route for a central catheter from the arm.
• Vessels: mesodermal, from angioblastic tissue.
• Vein: thin wall, adventitia thickest, valves.
• Veins hold ~70% of the blood.

The full note in the atlas also covers

Course · Histology · Development · Clinical notes

Sign in free to see it on the 3D model, read the full note and practise questions on it.

Written from

• Snell’s Clinical Anatomy by Regions, 10th ed., ch. 3, PDF pp. 386–388
• Inderbir Singh’s Human Embryology, ch. 15, PDF p. 236
• BRS Cell Biology & Histology, 7th ed., ch. 11, PDF pp. 203–205

More from the upper limb

• Biceps brachii
• Brachial artery
• Brachial plexus
• Brachialis
• Brachioradialis
• Breast
• Carpal bones
• Cephalic vein
• Clavicle
• Coracobrachialis
• Deltoid
• Dorsal scapular nerve

Privacy policy · Designed by DATXOC LLC.