A rare anastomosis between basilic and brachial veins

Abstract

Variations in the veins of upper extremity are common. Knowing these variations is important for interventions to be carried out in this region. In this case report, a rare anastomosis between basilic vein and brachial vein is presented. During a routine cadaver dissection, a short and thick branch of the basilic vein was noticed to provide anastomosis between the basilic vein and the brachial vein in the right upper extremity of a 54-year-old male cadaver. The diameter of the basilic vein was quite narrow at the proximal part above the anastomosis. In addition, the axillary vein was noticed to be formed as a continuation of brachial vein, not basilic vein. The variation presented in this case report may cause serious complications, such as the rupture of the vessel in venous interventions related with the basilic vein.

Keywords

• basilic vein
• brachial vein
• venous anastomosis
• venous catheterization

References

1. Standring S (ed). Gray’s anatomy: The anatomical basis of clinical practice. 41st ed. London: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2015. p. 779–80.
2. Tubbs RS, Shoja MM, Loukas M (eds). Bergman’s comprehensive encyclopedia of human anatomic variation. Hoboken (NJ): John Wiley & Sons, Inc; 2016. p. 826–31.
3. Anaya-Ayala JE, Younes HK, Kaiser CL, Syed O, Ismail N, Naoum JJ, Davies MG, Peden EK. Prevalence of variant brachial-basilic vein anatomy and implications for vascular access planning. J Vasc Surg 2011;53:720–4.
4. Wineski LE (ed). Snell’s clinical anatomy by regions. 10th ed. China: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2011. p. 386–8.
5. Lee H, Lee SH, Kim SJ, Choi WI, Lee JH, Choi IJ. Variations of the cubital superficial vein investigated by using the intravenous illuminator. Anat Cell Biol 2015;48:62–5.
6. Iaffaldano RA, Lewis BE, Johnson SA, Piffare R, McKiernan TL. Patency of cryopreserved saphenous vein grafts as conduits for coronary artery bypass surgery. Chest 1995;108:725–9.
7. Kumar N, Aithal AP, Rao MK, Nayak SB. The venous chiasma between the basilic vein and the brachial vein: a case report. J Clin Diagn Res 2012;6:1539–40.
8. Singh SP, Ekandem GJ, Bose S. A study of the superficial veins of the cubital fossa in Nigerian subjects. Acta Anat (Basel) 1982;114:317– 20.

9. Okamoto K. A study of the superficial veins in the superior extremity of live Japanese. Anat Rec 1922;23:323–31.