Vena basilica

Veins are essential for one of the most important organs in the human body: the heart is constantly supplied by the blood that the veins (also called blood vessels) carry to the organ. The veins of the body are all connected to the heart, as is the heart Vena basilica.

What is the basilic vein?

The basilica vein (Arabic: al-baslik, "inside") runs along the arm and collects the blood in the hand and in the forearm, which then runs into the upper arm. It is large and superficial and ends in the medial biceps groove (sulcus bicipitalis lateralis), specifically in the hiatus basilicus.

This is part of the covering layer, which consists of connective tissue. The basilic vein is thus central in the upper arm, as it lies between the biceps and triceps. From the fascia, the bisilar vein opens into the subcutaneous tissue, the lowest layer of the skin.

The vena basilica is not to be confused with the "royal vein", as the Latin word "basilica" stands for "king's hall". However, this is misleading and has a different meaning than the Basilar vein.

Anatomy & structure

The basilica vein is one of the two important large veins (main veins) in the arm of the human body, together with the so-called cephalic vein. Although the cephalic vein is the cutaneous vein of the forearm, both open subcutaneously (in the lowest layer of the skin) and both are quite variable.

The basilica antebrachial vein begins on the ulnar side of the back of the hand, i.e. it faces the side of the forearm. There it reaches the flexor side of the forearm, the elbow. Here it runs with the mediana cubiti vein. From the elbow onwards, the bisilar vein is no longer referred to as the antebrachii (Arabic: forearm), but as the basilic vein. The vena mediana cubiti connects the bisilar vein with the vena cephalica and is mostly located in the aponeurosis bicipitalis, a tendon strip of the forearm muscle.

From the tendon strip it flows on to the hiatus basilicus, a slit in the fascia located on the front of the upper arm. This is also where the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve flows into the lowest skin layer, the subcutaneous tissue. Since the bisilar vein opens here, it is located between the two large arm muscles, the biceps and triceps.

After the middle of the upper arm, the basilar vein continues to the teres major muscle, a shoulder muscle. Then it forms with the vena brachialis (arm vein) a very deep vein of the forearm, the vena axillaris (armpit vein). It transports the blood out of the hand with the basilar and arm veins.

Function & tasks

As one of the two most important veins in the arm, the basilic vein only works in conjunction with other veins.

The job of blood vessels is to carry blood to the heart throughout the body. They transport the blood, which is already used and low in oxygen, from the legs and arms back to the heart, whereupon the organ pumps the oxygen-rich blood back to all parts of the body.

However, since the blood cannot reach the heart on its own, the body has a so-called pump system. This already begins in the feet: the pressure on the soles of the feet when walking creates further pressure in the veins, whereupon the blood is pressed out of the veins and transported to the heart. In the ankle pump, the muscles are responsible for creating pressure so that the blood in the veins is drawn to the heart. The largest pumping system is found in the calf muscles: when the calf muscle contracts, the blood is shot back particularly quickly. The blood is still transported calmly to the heart, since the veins are very flexible and absorb the pressure.

The venous valves are particularly important when transporting blood because they allow the blood to only go to the heart and prevent backflow. These valves are located in several veins in the body so that the blood gets to the heart like a one-way street.

Diseases

There are many veins in the human body that can be quickly affected by diseases; including the basilic vein.

A thrombosis is a build-up of blood in a vein caused by pathological complications. A classic cause of a thrombosis is a blood flow that is too slow: If the basilar vein transports the blood too slowly to the axillary vein, this can lead to a flow vortex and thus to a thrombosis.

Since the basilic vein in the elbow has a particularly large venous valve, a defect in the venous valves is very likely. If the venous valves fail to close, preventing the blood from flowing back, this can lead to slowed blood flow and venous pressure in the arm. Causes of defective venous valves are, for example, varicose veins; Defective venous valves can also be associated with thrombosis.