The basilic vein
Basilic vein · vena basilica
A vein on the little-finger side of your forearm and arm.
What it does
The basilic vein runs up the inner side of the forearm and arm under the skin, then pierces the deep tissue halfway up the arm to join the deep veins.
Surprising fact
Its name may come from an Arabic word meaning "inner", and in older medicine it was thought to drain the liver and spleen.
Why it matters
It is often used for long-term intravenous lines, called PICC lines, which run from the arm up to the large veins near the heart.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.