External Jugular Vein
The external jugular vein and its tributaries supply the majority of the external face. It is formed by the union of two veins:
Posterior auricular vein – drains the area of scalp superior and posterior to the outer ear.
Retromandibular vein (posterior branch) – itself formed by the maxillary and superficial temporal veins, which drain the face.
These two veins combine immediately posterior to the angle of mandible, and inferior to the outer ear, forming the external jugular vein.
After formation, the external jugular vein descends down the neck within the superficial fascia. It runs anteriorly to the sternocleidomastoid muscle, crossing it in an oblique, posterior and inferior direction.
In the root of the neck, the vein passes underneath the clavicle, and terminates by draining into the subclavian vein. Along its route down the neck, the EJV receives tributary veins – posterior external jugular, transverse cervical and suprascapular veins.