The lingual veins are paired blood vessels that drain the tongue. They are formed from the union of several smaller vessels - the dorsal lingual vein and deep lingual vein, as well as from the vena comitans of the hypoglossal nerve. Overall, the veins that drain the tongue follow two routes.

The dorsal lingual veins collect venous blood from the sides and dorsum of the tongue. They join small lingual veins that accompany the lingual artery. The main trunk of these veins drains into the internal jugular vein near the greater horn of the hyoid bone.

The deep lingual vein arises near the tip of the tongue and goes in the posterior direction just beneath the mucosa of the ventral surface of the tongue. It drains the ventral surface and inferior aspect of the tongue.

The deep lingual vein unites with the sublingual vein at the base of the tongue near the anterior border of the hyoglossus muscle to form the vena comitans nervi hypoglossi that goes together with the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII). It ends by draining into the common facial vein or internal jugular vein, or it joins the common trunk of the dorsal lingual veins before emptying into the internal jugular vein.

The sublingual vein collects venous blood from the sublingual gland and submandibular gland, as well as from the floor of the oral cavity.

Note: Before the common facial vein drains into the internal jugular vein, it often receives two veins - the superior thyroid vein and the common trunk of the lingual veins. The confluence of these veins forms a common trunk that is known as the thyrolinguofacial trunk. However, the lingual and superior thyroid veins can directly drain into the internal jugular vein.

Overall, the lingual veins collect deoxygenated blood from the muscles and mucosa of the tongue, floor of the oral cavity, submandibular and sublingual glands, as well as from the submandibular neck triangle.

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Lingual veins