Anatomy

• Vascular Plexus

  A large network of blood vessels

  
• Anastomosis

  A connecting channel or channels among vessels
• Venous Sinuses

  Blood-filled spaces between two layers of tissue
• Arterial Blood Supply to Head and Neck

  • Common carotid arteries
  • Subclavian arteries

  
• Path from the heart to the common carotid


  Different for the right and left sides of the body

  
• Common Carotid Artery

  Branchless, travels superiorly along the neck

  
• Carotid Pulse

  • The most reliable arterial pulse of the body
  • Can be felt in the groove at the anterior border of the SCM muscle at the level of the thyroid cartilage

  
• Carotid Sheath

  Contains the common carotid artery, internal jugular vein, and vagus nerve

  
• Common Carotid Artery

  Divides into the internal and external carotid arteries

  
• Internal Carotid Artery

  Travels superiorly after leaving the common carotid artery, supplies intracranial structures

  
• External Carotid Artery

  Supplies the extracranial tissue of the head and neck

  
• Branches of the External Carotid Artery

  • Superior Thyroid
  • Ascending Pharyngeal
  • Lingual (and Sublingual)
  • Facial
  • Occipital
  • Posterior Auricular
  • Superficial Temporal Artery

  
• Superior Thyroid Artery

  Anterior branch from the external carotid artery, supplies structures inferior to the hyoid bone

  
• Ascending Pharyngeal Artery

  Supplies the pharyngeal walls, soft palate, meninges, and tonsillar branches

  
• Lingual Artery

  Arises at the level of the hyoid bone, supplies structures superior to the hyoid bone

  
• Facial Artery

  Runs medial to the mandible, then crosses laterally near the mandible's inferior border, terminates at the medial canthus of the eye
• Facial Artery Branches

  • Submental artery
  • Inferior labial artery
  • Superior labial artery
  • Angular artery
  • Ascending palatine artery

  
• Occipital Artery

  Travels to the posterior part of the scalp, supplies the SCM, auricular regions, and trapezius muscle

  
• Posterior Auricular Artery

  Supplies the internal ear and the mastoid process
• Superficial Temporal Artery

  Starts within the parotid salivary gland, can be visible under the skin covering the temporal
• Veins

  • Have a greater variability than the arteries
  • Anastomosing freely
  • Are larger and more numerous than arteries
• Superficial Temporal Artery Branches

  • Transverse facial artery
  • Middle temporal artery
  • Frontal branch
  • Parietal branch
• Veins to Know

  • Internal Jugular Vein
  • External Jugular Vein
  • Facial Vein
  • Retromandibular Vein
  • Superficial Temporal Vein
  • Pterygoid Plexus of Veins
  • Maxillary Vein
  • Cavernous Sinus
  • Subclavian Vein
  • Brachiocephalic Vein

  
• Maxillary Artery

  The largest terminal branch of the external carotid artery, travels deep to the structures of the face and enters the pterygopalatine fossa
• Internal Jugular Vein

  Drains the brain and most of the other tissue of the head and neck
• Maxillary Artery Branches

  • Middle meningeal artery
  • Inferior alveolar artery
  • Deep temporal arteries
  • Pterygoid arteries
  • Masseteric artery
  • Buccal artery

  
• Internal Jugular Vein

  1. Leaves the skull through the jugular foramen

  2. Runs with the common carotid artery and the vagus nerve in the carotid sheath

  3. Combines with the subclavian vein to become the brachiocephalic vein

  
• Inferior Alveolar Artery

  Enters the mandibular foramen along with the inferior alveolar nerve and vein, supplies the mandible
• External Jugular Vein

  • Formed by the junction of the retromandibular vein with the posterior auricular vein
  • Drains into the subclavian vein

  
• Branches of Inferior Alveolar Artery

  • Mylohyoid
  • Mental
  • Incisive

  
• Pterygoid Plexus of Veins


  • Collection of small anastomosing vessels in the infratemporal fossa
  • Drains the veins from the deep parts of the face and then drains into the maxillary vein

  
• Pterygoid Plexus of Veins

  • Protects the maxillary artery from being compressed during mastication
  • Can accommodate changes in volume within the infratemporal fossa that occur when the mandible undergoes movement
• Mylohyoid Artery

  Branches from the inferior alveolar artery before it enters the mandibular canal, supplies the floor of the mouth and mylohyoid muscle

  
• Mental Artery

  Branches from the inferior alveolar artery, exits the mandibular canal through the mental foramen
• Superficial Temporal Vein


  Superficially located in skin covering the temporal region
• Posterior Superior Alveolar Artery

  Enters the posterior superior alveolar foramina, anastomoses with the anterior superior alveolar artery
• Infraorbital Artery

  Branches in the pterygopalatine fossa, enters the orbit through the inferior orbital fissure, gives rise to the anterior superior alveolar artery

  
• Maxillary Vein

  • Deeper than the superficial temporal vein
  • Collects blood from the pterygoid plexus of veins
  • Merges with the superficial temporal vein to form the retromandibular vein

  
• Retromandibular Vein

  • Formed from the merger of the superficial temporal vein and maxillary vein
  • Divides into two parts - the anterior division joins the facial vein, the posterior division continues its inferior course

  
• Anterior Superior Alveolar Artery

  Branches off the infraorbital artery, anastomoses with the posterior superior alveolar artery