Anatomic Relationships of the Right Subclavian Vein

Right subclavian venograms were performed on 70 adult patients who were undergoing intravenous urography. These radiographs were used to study the anatomic relationships of the subclavian vein to the clavicle and the changes caused by abduction, shrugging, rotation of the head, and Trendelenburg positions. The importance of these positional relationships and anatomic variants should be considered when performing percutaneous catheterization of the right subclavian vein.