Superior carotid triangle
Encyclopedia
The carotid triangle is a portion of the anterior triangle of the neck
.
It is covered by the integument, superficial fascia, Platysma and deep fascia; ramifying in which are branches of the facial and cutaneous cervical nerves.
Its floor is formed by parts of the Thyrohyoideus, Hyoglossus
, and the Constrictores pharyngis medius and inferior.
, which bifurcates opposite the upper border of the thyroid cartilage
into the external and internal carotid. These vessels are somewhat concealed from view by the anterior margin of the Sternocleidomastoideus, which overlaps them.
The external and internal carotids lie side by side, the external being the more anterior of the two.
The following branches of the external carotid are also met with in this space:
...all of which end in the internal jugular.
In front of the sheath of the common carotid is the ramus descendens hypoglossi.
The hypoglossal nerve
crosses both the internal and external carotids above, curving around the origin of the occipital artery
.
Within the sheath, between the artery and vein, and behind both, is the vagus nerve
; behind the sheath, the sympathetic trunk
.
On the lateral side of the vessels, the accessory nerve
runs for a short distance before it pierces the Sternocleidomastoideus; and on the medial side of the external carotid, just below the hyoid bone
, the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve
may be seen ; and, still more inferiorly, the external branch of the same nerve.
Anterior triangle of the neck
-Boundaries:The triangle is inverted with its apex inferior to its base which is under the chin.-Nerve supply:2 Bellies of Digastric* Anterior: Mylohyoid nerve* Posterior: Facial nerve-Divisions:...
.
Coverings and boundaries
It is bounded:- posteriorly by the Sternocleidomastoideus;
- inferiorly, by the superior belly of the Omohyoideus
- superiorly, by the Stylohyoideus and the posterior belly of the Digastricus.
It is covered by the integument, superficial fascia, Platysma and deep fascia; ramifying in which are branches of the facial and cutaneous cervical nerves.
Its floor is formed by parts of the Thyrohyoideus, Hyoglossus
Hyoglossus
The Hyoglossus, thin and quadrilateral, arises from the side of the body and from the whole length of the greater cornu of the hyoid bone, and passes almost vertically upward to enter the side of the tongue, between the Styloglossus and Longitudinalis inferior....
, and the Constrictores pharyngis medius and inferior.
Arteries
This space when dissected is seen to contain the upper part of the common carotid arteryCommon carotid artery
In human anatomy, the common carotid artery is an artery that supplies the head and neck with oxygenated blood; it divides in the neck to form the external and internal carotid arteries. - Structure :...
, which bifurcates opposite the upper border of the thyroid cartilage
Thyroid cartilage
The thyroid cartilage is the largest of the nine cartilages that make up the laryngeal skeleton, the cartilage structure in and around the trachea that contains the larynx....
into the external and internal carotid. These vessels are somewhat concealed from view by the anterior margin of the Sternocleidomastoideus, which overlaps them.
The external and internal carotids lie side by side, the external being the more anterior of the two.
The following branches of the external carotid are also met with in this space:
- the superior thyroid arterySuperior thyroid arteryThe superior thyroid artery arises from the external carotid artery just below the level of the greater cornu of the hyoid bone and ends in the thyroid gland.-Relations:...
, running forward and downward; - the lingual arteryLingual arteryThe lingual artery arises from the external carotid between the superior thyroid and facial artery. It can be located easily in the tongue.-Path:It first runs obliquely upward and medialward to the greater cornu of the hyoid bone....
, directly forward; - the facial arteryFacial arteryThe facial artery is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies structures of the superficial face.-Structure:...
, forward and upward; - the occipital arteryOccipital arteryThe occipital artery arises from the external carotid artery opposite the facial artery, its path is below the posterior belly of digastric to the occipital region. This artery supplies blood to the back of the scalp and sterno-mastoid muscles...
, backward and upward; - the ascending pharyngeal arteryAscending pharyngeal arteryThe ascending pharyngeal artery, the smallest branch of the external carotid, is a long, slender vessel, deeply seated in the neck, beneath the other branches of the external carotid and under the Stylopharyngeus...
, directly upward on the medial side of the internal carotid.
Veins
The veins met with are:- the internal jugular, which lies on the lateral side of the common and internal carotid arteries;
- and veins corresponding to the above-mentioned branches of the external carotid—viz.,
- the superior thyroidSuperior thyroidSuperior thyroid can refer to:* Superior thyroid artery* Superior thyroid vein...
, - the lingualLingualLingual may refer to:* Rap Crew, LINGUAL, an underground widespread hip-hop group from Berlin, Germany. The Group was founded in 2010 with their former member Freddy K. Their music is based on oldschool features with mixtures of Rap, Funk and Jazz and consists of 4 members, Sam-Which, Kurt...
, - common facial,
- ascending pharyngeal,
- and sometimes the occipitalOccipitalThe word occipital, in zoology, pertains to the occiput .Occipital is a descriptor for several areas of animal & human anatomy.*External occipital protuberance* Internal occipital crest* Greater occipital nerve...
- the superior thyroid
...all of which end in the internal jugular.
Nerves
The nerves in this space are the following.In front of the sheath of the common carotid is the ramus descendens hypoglossi.
The hypoglossal nerve
Hypoglossal nerve
The hypoglossal nerve is the twelfth cranial nerve , leading to the tongue. The nerve arises from the hypoglossal nucleus and emerges from the medulla oblongata in the preolivary sulcus separating the olive and the pyramid. It then passes through the hypoglossal canal...
crosses both the internal and external carotids above, curving around the origin of the occipital artery
Occipital artery
The occipital artery arises from the external carotid artery opposite the facial artery, its path is below the posterior belly of digastric to the occipital region. This artery supplies blood to the back of the scalp and sterno-mastoid muscles...
.
Within the sheath, between the artery and vein, and behind both, is the vagus nerve
Vagus nerve
The vagus nerve , also called pneumogastric nerve or cranial nerve X, is the tenth of twelve paired cranial nerves...
; behind the sheath, the sympathetic trunk
Sympathetic trunk
The sympathetic trunks are a paired bundle of nerve fibers that run from the base of the skull to the coccyx.-Structure:...
.
On the lateral side of the vessels, the accessory nerve
Accessory nerve
In anatomy, the accessory nerve is a nerve that controls specific muscles of the shoulder and neck. As part of it was formerly believed to originate in the brain, it is considered a cranial nerve...
runs for a short distance before it pierces the Sternocleidomastoideus; and on the medial side of the external carotid, just below the hyoid bone
Hyoid bone
The hyoid bone is a horseshoe-shaped bone situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. At rest, it lies at the level of the base of the mandible in the front and the third cervical vertebra behind.Unlike other bones, the hyoid is only distantly...
, the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve
Superior laryngeal nerve
The superior laryngeal nerve is a branch of the vagus nerve. It arises from the middle of the ganglion nodosum and in its course receives a branch from the superior cervical ganglion of the sympathetic....
may be seen ; and, still more inferiorly, the external branch of the same nerve.