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Case Report
A case of unilateral fenestration of the external jugular vein in a male cadaver with a review of existing literature
1 Medical Student, University of Birmingham Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
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Matthew James Eskell
City of Bristol, BS9 1BE,
United Kingdom
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Article ID: 101048Z01ME2019
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Eskell MJ, Bickerton RD, Guy IA, Jefferies BJ. A case of unilateral fenestration of the external jugular vein in a male cadaver with a review of existing literature. Int J Case Rep Images 2019;10:101048Z01ME2019.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Neck veins are increasingly used in autologous tissue transfers, diagnostic procedures, and intravenous therapies. Thus, knowledge of variation in their anatomy is of huge clinical importance in modern medicine. There have been several case reports of variation in the external jugular vein (EJV) anatomy, but fenestration remains one of the rarest anomalies reported.
Case Report: During dissection of an embalmed 80-year-old male cadaver, unilateral (left-sided) fenestration of the EJV was noted. Shortly after the union of the retromandibular and posterior auricular veins, the EJV bifurcated, forming medial and lateral divisions. These descended superficially to sternocleidomastoid muscle before reuniting inferior to its posterior border in the posterior triangle of the neck and draining into the subclavian vein. No structures passed through the fenestration. A review of existing literature found five reports of unilateral EJV fenestration. Of note, ours is the only case where the anomaly has occurred in a male.
Conclusion: Fenestration of the EJV is a rare anatomical anomaly. This case report contributes to the limited body of evidence regarding the true incidence of this variant. Further research will be beneficial in building a more comprehensive evidence base regarding anatomical variants of the EJV.
Keywords: Anatomical variation, External jugular vein, Fenestration, Venous
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the work of Miss Vicky Cottrell at the University of Birmingham for her assistance during the dissection process as part of the BSc Clinical Anatomy program at the university. In addition, we would like to thank Mr Martin Jones of the University of Birmingham for his assistance in photographing the anatomical variation. We are grateful for the invaluable contributions of the Anatomy Department at the University of Birmingham led by the late Professor Joanne Wilton.
Author ContributionsMatthew James Eskell - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Robert Daniel Bickerton - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Isabel Ann Guy - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Benjamin Joseph Jefferies - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guaranter of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2019 Matthew James Eskell et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
