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Maxillary veins

The maxillary veins are paired venous structures situated in the deep face, draining the pterygoid plexus and accompanying the maxillary artery. They play a crucial role in the venous drainage of the maxilla, teeth, and deep facial regions, ultimately contributing to the formation of the retromandibular vein. Understanding their anatomy and imaging characteristics is vital for radiological evaluation of the head and neck, particularly when assessing vascular malformations, tumors, or inflammatory processes.

Synonyms

  • Vena maxillaris

  • Maxillary vein (singular)

  • Maxillary venous plexus (historically used)

  • Deep facial vein (sometimes used interchangeably, though not strictly synonymous)

Anatomy

  • Paired veins located in the infratemporal fossa.

  • Arise from the pterygoid venous plexus.

  • Course posteriorly alongside the maxillary artery.

  • Drain into the retromandibular vein.

  • Contribute to venous outflow from the deep face, maxilla, nasal cavity, and teeth.

MRI Appearance

Proton Density (PD) Sequence:

  • Maxillary veins appear as flow voids or hypointense (dark) tubular structures due to rapid blood flow.

  • May show intermediate to low signal if flow is slow or partially saturated.

  • Adjacent soft tissues (muscle, fat) provide contrast for identification.

Short Tau Inversion Recovery (STIR) Sequence:

  • Veins generally appear as flow voids (dark structures) because of high flow.

  • Surrounding fat is suppressed, making veins more conspicuous against the hypointense background.

  • Useful for differentiating vascular structures from edematous or inflamed tissue.

T1-Weighted Sequence:

  • Maxillary veins are typically hypointense (dark) compared to adjacent fat and muscle.

  • Flow-related signal loss is common; slow flow or thrombosis may result in increased signal intensity.

  • Contrast-enhanced T1 may show venous enhancement if intravenous gadolinium is administered.

MRI images

Maxillary veins MRI IMAGE