Internal jugular vein

The internal jugular vein is a paired vein that collects blood from the brain, the superficial face and the neck. It runs down the side of the neck and returns that blood toward the right atrium. (StatPearls, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)

Latin vena jugularis interna (Wikipedia, Internal jugular vein, CC BY-SA 4.0) · FMA4724 · Cardiovascular system

The great vessels from the front, all faded except the right and left internal jugular veins, highlighted coming down the neck to the brachiocephalic veins. — Both internal jugular veins in place, seen from the front. Render: ScienceQuest, CC BY 4.0. Meshes: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0

The right and left internal jugular veins on their own, seen from the front. — The two internal jugular veins alone, seen from the front. Render: ScienceQuest, CC BY 4.0. Meshes: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0

Open it in the Great Vessels Explorer See it alone in 3D

Where does the internal jugular vein run?

It continues the sigmoid sinus. It begins in the posterior cranial fossa and leaves the skull through the jugular foramen. (StatPearls, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)

In the neck it runs down inside the carotid sheath, lateral to the internal and common carotid arteries. The sternocleidomastoid muscle overlaps it. (StatPearls, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)

At the junction of neck and thorax it joins the subclavian vein to form the brachiocephalic vein. (StatPearls, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)

What drains into the internal jugular vein?

It drains the skull, the brain, the superficial face and most of the neck. Its tributaries include the inferior petrosal sinus and the facial, lingual, pharyngeal, and superior and middle thyroid veins. (StatPearls, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)

Inside the skull, the transverse sinuses drain into the sigmoid sinuses, which pass through the jugular foramen into the internal jugular vein. (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Neuroanatomy, Dural Venous Sinuses and Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)

What lies around the internal jugular vein?

It runs down the neck in the carotid sheath, lateral to the common carotid artery. (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)

In the carotid sheath the vagus nerve lies between the artery and the vein, a little behind them. Deep cervical lymph nodes lie along the vein, mainly on its superficial side. (StatPearls, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)

On the left, lymph from the thoracic duct enters the veins where the left internal jugular meets the left subclavian. (StatPearls, Thorax, Mediastinum Superior and Great Vessels)

Does the internal jugular vein have valves?

Yes. Both have valves a few centimeters before their ends, and the left vein is a little smaller than the right. (StatPearls, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)

Where the sources differ

OpenStax is not consistent on where the vein ends: its table says it empties into the subclavian vein, and its text says it empties into the brachiocephalic vein. StatPearls (Brachiocephalic Veins) has the brachiocephalic vein form where the subclavian and internal jugular veins unite. (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Innominate) Veins)

The internal jugular vein at a glance
Feature	Detail and source
Begins	Sigmoid sinus, at the jugular foramen (StatPearls, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)
Runs in	Carotid sheath, with the common carotid artery and vagus nerve (StatPearls, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)
Ends	Joins the subclavian vein to form the brachiocephalic vein (StatPearls, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein)

Touches in this model

Measured on the BodyParts3D meshes: surfaces within 2 mm of the internal jugular vein, nearest first, 12 of 14.

Sources

StatPearls, Anatomy, Head and Neck: Internal Jugular Vein. Allyson B. Rivard; Michael W. Kortz; Bracken Burns. Last update July 24, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 20.5, Circulatory Pathways. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
StatPearls, Neuroanatomy, Dural Venous Sinuses. Marlon L. Bayot; Vamsi Reddy; Matthew K. Zabel. Last update August 8, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
StatPearls, Anatomy, Thorax, Mediastinum Superior and Great Vessels. Shuja Rizvi; Chase J. Wehrle; Mark A. Law. Last update July 24, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
StatPearls, Anatomy, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Innominate) Veins. Bruno Bordoni; Adekunle E. Omole. Last update December 9, 2025. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.