Superior thyroid artery

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Artery: Superior thyroid artery
Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck, showing the carotid and subclavian arteries.
The fascia and middle thyroid veins. (Superior thyroid artery labeled at upper right.)
Latin arteria thyreoidea superior
Gray's subject #144 552
Supplies thyroid
Source external carotid artery   
Branches Hyoid (infrahyoid) artery
Sternocleidomastoid artery
Superior laryngeal artery
Cricothyroid artery
Vein superior thyroid vein
Dorlands
/ Elsevier
    
a_61/12156385

The 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.

Contents

[edit] Relations

From its origin under the anterior border of the Sternocleidomastoideus it runs upward and forward for a short distance in the carotid triangle, where it is covered by the skin, Platysma, and fascia; it then arches downward beneath the Omohyoideus, Sternohyoideus, and Sternothyreoideus.

To its medial side are the Constrictor pharyngis inferior and the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve.

[edit] Branches

It distributes twigs to the adjacent muscles, and numerous branches to the thyroid gland, anastomosing with its fellow of the opposite side, and with the inferior thyroid arteries.

The branches to the gland are generally two in number;

Besides the arteries distributed to the muscles and to the thyroid gland, the branches of the superior thyroid are:[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] Additional images

[edit] References

  1. ^ Mnemonic at medicalmnemonics.com 136

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 As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated.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