The arteries of the chest, then the veins, from the front, with the heart and lungs drawn faintly.
Thoracic Blood Vessels Diagram
Name Date
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1 of 7
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Write the name of each numbered vessel.Answer key
Ascending aorta
Aortic arch
Brachiocephalic trunk
Right common carotid artery
Left common carotid artery
Right subclavian artery
Left subclavian artery
Thoracic aorta
Intercostal arteries
Internal thoracic artery
Pulmonary trunk
Right pulmonary artery
Left pulmonary artery
Superior vena cava
Right brachiocephalic vein
Left brachiocephalic vein
Internal jugular vein
Subclavian vein
Azygos vein
Hemiazygos vein
Accessory hemiazygos vein
Intercostal veins
Inferior vena cava
Drawn for this site on 2026-10-05 by script. Licence: own work.
Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a vessel is answered.
Ascending aortaIt rises from the left ventricle and leads into the aortic arch.
Aortic archCurves to the left, joining the ascending aorta to the descending aorta. Three arteries leave it.
Brachiocephalic trunkDivides into the right common carotid and right subclavian arteries. It is also called the brachiocephalic artery.
Right common carotid arteryA branch of the brachiocephalic trunk that carries blood to the head.
Left common carotid arteryThe second branch of the aortic arch. It carries blood to the head.
Right subclavian arteryCarries blood toward the right arm. A branch of the brachiocephalic trunk.
Left subclavian arteryThe third branch of the aortic arch. It carries blood towards the left arm.
Thoracic aortaThe descending aorta above the diaphragm. It runs down to the left of the backbone.
Intercostal arteriesBranches of the thoracic aorta that run between the ribs. They supply the muscles of the chest wall.
Internal thoracic arterySupplies the front wall of the chest. A branch of the subclavian artery. It is also called the internal mammary artery.
Pulmonary trunkLeaves the right ventricle and divides into right and left pulmonary arteries.
Right pulmonary arteryOne of the two branches of the pulmonary trunk. It carries blood low in oxygen to the right lung.
Left pulmonary arteryOne of the two branches of the pulmonary trunk. It carries blood low in oxygen to the left lung.
Veins 10
Superior vena cavaDrains most of the body above the diaphragm into the right atrium. It forms where the two brachiocephalic veins join.
Right brachiocephalic veinIt forms where the right internal jugular and subclavian veins join.
Left brachiocephalic veinForms where the left internal jugular and subclavian veins join. It crosses to the right to meet the right brachiocephalic vein.
Internal jugular veinBrings blood down from the head. It joins the subclavian vein to form the brachiocephalic vein.
Subclavian veinBrings blood from the arm. It joins the internal jugular vein to form the brachiocephalic vein.
Azygos veinRuns up the right side of the vertebral column. It takes in the intercostal veins and arches forward into the superior vena cava.
Hemiazygos veinRuns up the left side of the vertebral column. It takes in the lower left intercostal veins and crosses the column to the azygos vein.
Accessory hemiazygos veinTakes in left intercostal veins above the hemiazygos vein. It crosses the vertebral column to the azygos vein.
Intercostal veinsDrain the muscles of the chest wall. They drain into the azygos vein on the right and the hemiazygos veins on the left.
Inferior vena cavaBrings blood from below the diaphragm up into the right atrium.
How this list was compiled: Every name and detail checked on 2026-09-30 against OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 20.5 Circulatory Pathways (Pulmonary Circulation; The Aorta and the branches of the aortic arch; Thoracic Aorta and Major Branches; The Superior Vena Cava with table 20.11), https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/20-5-circulatory-pathways, and against Wikipedia, text only: Aortic arch, Thoracic aorta, Intercostal arteries, Internal thoracic artery, Pulmonary artery, Superior vena cava, Brachiocephalic vein, Azygos vein, Hemiazygos vein, Accessory hemiazygos vein and Posterior intercostal veins. The hemiazygos and accessory hemiazygos veins and where they end were also checked against Gray's Anatomy (1918, public domain), The Veins of the Thorax, https://www.bartleby.com/107/172.html. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-05 by script. Our own drawing, nothing traced. The vessels were laid out by eye after five public domain plates in Henry Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body (20th US edition, 1918): the aorta, its arch and branches and the pulmonary arteries after fig. 505 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray505.png) and fig. 970 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray970.png); the internal thoracic artery after fig. 522 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray522.png); the intercostal vessels after fig. 530 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray530.png); the venae cavae and the azygos, hemiazygos and accessory hemiazygos veins after fig. 480 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray480.png). A plan, not to scale: the great vessels are spread apart a little, the vessels behind the heart are drawn over it, the internal thoracic arteries are drawn further from the midline than they lie and no breastbone is drawn, and the ribs are cut off at the side of the chest. Licence: own work
How it works
Two front views of the blood vessels of the thoracic cavity, up to the root of the neck: first the arteries, then the veins. The person's right is on the left of the picture.
Read the full guide
Arteries first, then veins
Numbers 1 to 13 are the arteries. The aorta rises from the heart, arches over and runs down the chest; three arteries leave the arch, and the first soon divides in two. The pulmonary trunk splits to the two lungs. Numbers 14 to 23 are the veins. The internal jugular and subclavian veins join as the brachiocephalic veins, which meet in the superior vena cava. The azygos vein runs up beside the backbone and hooks into it.
Only the right side has a brachiocephalic trunk. The left common carotid and left subclavian arteries leave the arch on their own.
The pulmonary arteries are drawn in the vein color because they carry blood low in oxygen.
Questions and answers
What are the major blood vessels of the thoracic cavity?
Arteries: the aorta, as the ascending aorta, aortic arch and thoracic aorta, and the pulmonary trunk with its two pulmonary arteries. Veins: the superior and inferior venae cavae, the two brachiocephalic veins and the azygos vein.
What are the three branches of the aortic arch?
In order: the brachiocephalic trunk, the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery. The brachiocephalic trunk divides into the right common carotid and right subclavian arteries.
What does the azygos vein drain?
It takes in the intercostal veins of the chest wall, esophageal and bronchial veins, and the hemiazygos veins from the left side. It empties into the superior vena cava.
Which veins form the superior vena cava?
The right and left brachiocephalic veins. Each of those forms where an internal jugular vein and a subclavian vein join. The azygos vein enters the superior vena cava before it reaches the right atrium.