Inferior thyroid artery

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Artery: Inferior thyroid artery
Thyrocervical trunk and its branches, including inferior thyroid artery. Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck.
Human parathyroid glands
Latin arteria thyreoidea inferior
Gray's subject #148 581
Supplies thyroid
Source thyrocervical trunk   
Vein inferior thyroid veins
Dorlands
/ Elsevier
    
a_61/12156378

The inferior thyroid artery passes upward, in front of the vertebral artery and Longus colli; then turns medialward behind the carotid sheath and its contents, and also behind the sympathetic trunk, the middle cervical ganglion resting upon the vessel.

Reaching the lower border of the thyroid gland it divides into two branches, which supply the postero-inferior parts of the gland, and anastomose with the superior thyroid, and with the corresponding artery of the opposite side.

The recurrent nerve passes upward generally behind, but occasionally in front, of the artery.

[edit] Branches

Inferior thyroid with the branch ascending cervical artery labeled. Rest of branches are hidden behind other tissues.
Inferior thyroid with the branch ascending cervical artery labeled. Rest of branches are hidden behind other tissues.

The branches of the inferior thyroid are:

[edit] Additional images

[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 As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated.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.