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Surgical anatomy of jugular vein tributaries Background: The main tributaries of the internal jugular vein join at cervical level through the venous thyrolinguofacial trunk. This trunk is classically described as formed by the union of the facial, superior thyroid and lingual veins. Aim: To evaluate variations in the formation of the thyrolinguofacial trunk in human cadavers. Material and Methods: Thirty hemi-necks were dissected in human cadavers of nine men and six women, with ages ranging between 29 and 50 years, and analyzed by direct observation. Results: In 16 hemi-necks (53.3%), the trunk was thyrolinguofacial; in seven (23.3%), it was linguofacial; in six (20%), it was thyrolingual and in one case (3.3%) it was thyrolinguo pharyngofacial. No thyrofacial trunk formation was found. There was a correlation between the diameter of the internal jugular vein and of the venous trunk formed by these veins. Conclusions: There are morphological changes in the formation patterns of facial, lingual and superior thyroid veins. This information is useful for surgical oncology, plastic surgery, head and neck surgery and radiology.