Study of variation of formation of external jugular vein

The variations of the superficial veins of head and neck though common are important clinically and medico-legally. The external jugular vein is used as a manometer by radiologists doing catheterization (Baumgartner 1991), and clinicians in general. During routine dissection of head and neck, a variation of external jugular vein was observed in south Indian male cadaver unilaterally on the left side. A thin external jugular vein was seen to be formed by the union of posterior auricular vein and posterior division of retromandibular vein, running on the sternocleidomastoid muscle and joining with common facial vein to form external jugular vein proper was seen to be 2.5 cm above the mid clavicular point. This external jugular vein proper opens in to the left subclavian vein.