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The Daily Insight

Is posterior tibial vein deep

Author

Jessica Wilkins

Published May 04, 2026

The final deep vein that should be examined is the posterior tibial vein, located just posterior to the medial malleolus and beside the posterior tibial artery, which has an easily located pulsatile signal. Augmentation maneuvers are the same as described for the other deep veins. …

What is considered a deep vein?

What are deep veins? The veins located deep inside your body are known as deep veins. A deep vein is usually a large vein—way larger than the superficial veins—running through the muscles of the thigh and calf. A deep vein is located beside an artery that has the same name.

Is posterior tibial vein considered DVT?

Distal DVT is located along the lower leg and includes the infrapopliteal veins, such as the posterior tibial, peroneal, anterior tibial and muscular calf veins (soleal or gemellar).

Which veins are considered deep veins?

Veins considered to be “deep” classically have a corresponding named artery. In the upper extremity the deep veins include the paired radial veins, paired ulnar veins, paired brachial veins, axillary vein, and subclavian vein.

What is the tibial vein?

The anterior tibial vein is a vein in the lower leg. In human anatomy, there are two anterior tibial veins. They originate and receive blood from the dorsal venous arch, on the back of the foot and empties into the popliteal vein.

Is the popliteal vein a deep vein?

Your popliteal vein is one of the blood vessels that carries blood from your legs back to your heart. It runs behind your knee and up the back of your thigh. It’s one of the vessels doctors call a “deep vein” because it’s far underneath your skin.

Is posterior tibial vein superficial?

The posterior tibial vein (latin: vena tibialis posterior) is a deep vein of the lower leg formed by the lateral and medial plantar arteries.

Where are the deep veins in your body?

Deep veins, located in the center of the leg near the leg bones, are enclosed by muscle. The iliac, femoral, popliteal and tibial (calf) veins are the deep veins in the legs. Superficial veins are located near the surface of the skin and have very little muscle support.

Are veins deep or superficial?

Superficial veins are often visible under the skin and are typically thin and wispy. They carry blood from surrounding tissues to the deep veins. Deep veins are thicker than superficial veins and buried throughout the most inner parts of the body below the skin.

What are the deep veins of the calf?

The deep venous system of the calf includes the anterior tibial, posterior tibial, and peroneal veins. In the calf, these deep veins present as pairs on both sides of the artery.

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Is gastrocnemius a deep vein?

According to the nomenclature of veins of the lower limb [4], soleal and gastrocnemius veins are included in the deep venous system (Figure 1).

Which vessels form the popliteal vein?

The popliteal vein forms from the posterior and anterior tibial veins and ascends through the popliteal fossa to the opening in adductor magnus alongside the popliteal artery where it becomes the femoral vein.

Which leg is more common for DVT?

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) has been noted to occur as much as 60% more frequently in the left lower extremity than in the right lower extremity (1). Investigators since Virchow have suggested that this disparity may be related to compression of the left common iliac vein (LCIV) by the right common iliac artery (2).

What is the most common site for deep vein thrombosis?

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a medical condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein. These clots usually develop in the lower leg, thigh, or pelvis, but they can also occur in the arm.

Is left peroneal vein a deep vein?

The “distal” or “calf” deep veins The word “distal” refers to the deep veins below the knee. Though anatomical variability is often the case, these veins include the paired peroneal, posterior tibial, and anterior tibial veins that accompany the corresponding arteries of the lower leg (Figure 1).

What is the longest vein in the body?

Great Saphenous Vein (GSV) – The GSV is the large superficial vein of the leg and the longest vein in the entire body. It can be found along the length of the lower limb, returning blood from the thigh, calf, and foot to the deep femoral vein at the femoral triangle. The femoral triangle is located in the upper thigh.

What is the function of the posterior tibial vein?

The main function of the posterior tibial veins is to collect the blood from the sole of the foot, ankle joint and the muscles of the posterior compartment of the leg. They terminate at the level of the popliteus muscle by uniting with the anterior tibial veins and forming the popliteal vein.

Where are the posterior tibial veins?

The posterior tibial veins drain the posterior compartment of the leg, ankle joint and plantar surface of the foot. They are formed from a confluence of the medial and lateral plantar veins of the foot and follow the posterior tibial artery along its course, accompanying it in the tarsal tunnel.

Is superficial femoral vein a deep vein?

Most primary care physicians have not been taught and are not aware that the superficial femoral vein is a deep vein and that acute thrombosis of this vessel is potentially life threatening.

Where does the posterior tibial vein supply blood to?

The posterior tibial artery supplies oxygenated blood to the posterior compartment of the leg and the plantar surface of the foot.

Is the popliteal vein above the knee?

The popliteal vein runs behind the knee. It is one of several blood vessels that carry blood from the leg into the inferior vena cava, which is a large vein that carries blood from the lower body to the heart.

What is anterior tibial artery?

The anterior tibial artery is one of the terminal branches of the popliteal artery. It arises below the popliteal fossa, in the posterior (flexor) compartment of the leg. … The artery terminates at the level of the ankle joint, where it gives off its terminal branch, the dorsalis pedis artery.

What are the deep veins of the arm?

Deep veins — The deep veins of the upper extremity include the paired ulnar, radial, and interosseous veins in the forearm; paired brachial veins of the upper arm; and axillary vein. The axillary vein becomes the subclavian vein at the lower border of the teres major muscle (figure 2).

What are the superficial veins of leg?

The two main superficial veins of the leg are the Great (long) saphenous vein (GSV) or the Lesser (short) saphenous vein (SSV). The GSV is the longest vein in the body extending from the foot up to the femoral vein in the groin. The SSV runs from the foot up the back of the leg up to the knee.

Is the great saphenous vein a deep vein?

The great saphenous vein (GSV, alternately “long saphenous vein”; /səˈfiːnəs/) is a large, subcutaneous, superficial vein of the leg. It is the longest vein in the body, running along the length of the lower limb, returning blood from the foot, leg and thigh to the deep femoral vein at the femoral triangle.

How deep are veins under the skin?

The range of 0.2-2.0mm is set based on the shallowest penetration to the deepest penetration of light into the skin layer at a certain wavelength (i.e. 420nm, 585nm, and 800nm) and also the most superficial position of the vein is located.

What is a distal vein?

Distal or calf DVT involves the infrapopliteal veins, which are the posterior tibial veins, peroneal veins, anterior tibial veins, and muscular calf veins (soleus or gastrocnemius veins).

Is gastrocnemius muscle superficial or deep?

The gastrocnemius muscle (plural gastrocnemii) is a superficial two-headed muscle that is in the back part of the lower leg of humans. It runs from its two heads just above the knee to the heel, a three joint muscle (knee, ankle and subtalar joints).

What is the peroneal vein?

The peroneal or fibular veins are the venae comitantes that run with the peroneal artery in the lateral compartment of the leg and receive tributaries from soleus and from superficial veins. They terminate in the posterior tibial vein.

What's the back of your knee called?

Anatomical terminology The popliteal fossa (sometimes referred to as hough, or kneepit in analogy to the cubital fossa) is a shallow depression located at the back of the knee joint. The bones of the popliteal fossa are the femur and the tibia.

What are the first signs of a blood clot?

  • throbbing or cramping pain, swelling, redness and warmth in a leg or arm.
  • sudden breathlessness, sharp chest pain (may be worse when you breathe in) and a cough or coughing up blood.