The descending intercepting trunk for the upper, often the fourth through the eighth, left posterior intercostal veins: The accessory hemiazygos vein lies on the left side, and at the eighth thoracic vertebra it joins the hemiazygos vein, or crosses to the right side to join the azygos vein directly.

The large vein passing through the armpit which is continuous with the basilica vein (below) and the subclavian vein (above): The axillary veins supply both sides of the body's three muscles; deltoid (a muscle of the shoulder), trees minor (one of the rotator cuff muscles) and the long head of the triceps brachia (an elbow extensor).

One of a system of veins, also termed "vena azygos", that drain the thoracic and abdominal walls which goes up from the right curving upward lumbar vein or the vena cava (large vein which returns blood to the heart), enters the thorax through the aortic orifice (largest artery) in the diaphragm, and terminates or ends in the superior vena cava (major blood vessel that returns blood from the head, neck, upper extremities and chest and feeds into the right atrium or chamber of the heart which pumps blood into the right ventricle for ejection into the pulmonary or lung circulation).

An intercepting trunk for the lower left posterior intercostal veins: The hemiazygos vein arises from the ascending lumbar vein, passes up on the left side of the vertebrae to the eighth thoracic vertebra, where it may receive the accessory branch, and crosses over the vertebral column to open into the azygos vein.

1. Veins in the neck that return blood from the head.
2. Relating to, or located in the region of the neck or throat; especially, two pairs of large veins, internal and external, that return blood to the heart from the head and neck..
3. Pertaining to any of certain large veins of the neck; especially one (external jugular vein) collecting blood from the superficial parts of the head or one (internal jugular vein) collecting blood from within the skull.
4. A large vein on the bottom surface of the neck that may be used to collect blood samples or to place catheters (thin flexible tubes which can be inserted into the body to permit the introduction or the withdrawal of fluids or to keep passageways open).
5. The most important or vulnerable part of something.
6. Etymology: from Modern Latin jugularis, from Latin jugulum, "collarbone, throat, neck"; diminutive (small version) of jugum, "yoke"; related to iungere, "to join".

Five in number, these veins accompany the lumbar arteries, drain the posterior body wall and the lumbar vertebral venous plexuses, and terminate anteriorly as follows: the first and second in the ascending lumbar vein, the third and fourth in the inferior vena cava, and the fifth in the iliolumbar vein; all communicate via the ascending lumbar veins.