Transverse facial artery

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Artery: Transverse facial artery
Bloodvessels of the eyelids, front view. 1, supraorbital artery and supraorbital vein; 2, nasal artery; 3, angular artery, the terminal branch of 4, the facial artery; 5, suborbital artery; 6, anterior branch of the superficial temporal artery; 6’, malar branch of the transverse artery of the face; 7, lacrimal artery; 8, superior palpebral artery with 8’, its external arch; 9, anastomoses of the superior palpebral with the superficial temporal and lacrimal; 10, inferior palpebral artery; 11, facial vein; 12, angular vein; 13, branch of the superficial temporal vein.
The arteries of the face and scalp. (Transv. facial labeled at center, to right of ear.)
Latin arteria transversa faciei
Gray's subject #144 558
Source Superficial temporal

The transverse facial artery is an artery that branches from the superficial temporal artery and runs across the face.

[edit] Structure

The transverse facial artery is given off from the superficial temporal artery before that vessel leaves the parotid gland; running forward through the substance of the gland, it passes transversely across the side of the face, between the parotid duct and the lower border of the zygomatic arch, and divides into numerous branches, which supply the parotid gland and duct, the masseter muscle, and the integument, and anastomose with the facial artery, the masseteric artery, the buccinator artery, and the infraorbital artery.

This vessel rests on the masseter, and is accompanied by one or two branches of the facial nerve.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

Arteries of head and neckedit

EXTERNAL CAROTID: Anterior: superior thyroid - superior laryngeal - lingual (sublingual)

facial: cervical branches (ascending palatine - tonsillar - submental) - facial branches (inferior labial - superior labial - lateral nasal - angular)

Posterior and ascending: occipital - posterior auricular - stylomastoid - ascending pharyngeal (meningeal branches)
Terminal: superficial temporal - transverse facial - middle temporal (zygomaticoörbital) - parietal branch
internal maxillary - 1st part: anterior tympanic - deep auricular - middle meningeal - superior tympanic - accessory meningeal - inferior alveolar - lingual
2nd part: deep temporal - masseteric - buccinator - posterior superior alveolar
3rd part: infraorbital - descending palatine - artery of the pterygoid canal - sphenopalatine | (Gray's s144)

INTERNAL CAROTID: cervical portion - petrous portion - cavernous portion
ophthalmic - orbital group: lacrimal - supra-orbital - posterior ethmoidal - anterior ethmoidal - medial palpebral - supratrochlear - dorsal nasal
ocular group: central retinal - ciliary
cerebral portion: anterior cerebral - anterior communicating - middle cerebral - posterior communicating - anterior choroidal - circle of Willis | (Gray's s146 - Gray's s147)

SUBCLAVIAN: vertebral: meningeal branches - posterior spinal - anterior spinal - posterior inferior cerebellar - basilar (internal auditory - anterior inferior cerebellar - superior cerebellar - posterior cerebral)
thyrocervical trunk: inferior thyroid - inferior laryngeal - ascending cervical - suprascapular - transverse cervical - dorsal scapular
internal thoracic: musculophrenic - anterior intercostal - pericardiacophrenic - superior epigastric
costocervical trunk: highest intercostal, deep cervical | (Gray's s148)