Submandibular triangle

Submandibular triangle
Submandibular triangle
Side of neck, showing chief surface markings. (Nerves are yellow, arteries are red.)
Latin trigonum submandibulare
Gray's subject #145 564

The submandibular triangle (or submaxillary or digastric triangle) corresponds to the region of the neck immediately beneath the body of the mandible.

Contents

Boundaries and coverings

It is bounded:

It is covered by the integument, superficial fascia, Platysma, and deep fascia, ramifying in which are branches of the facial nerve and ascending filaments of the cutaneous cervical nerve.

Its floor is formed by the Mylohyoideus.

Divisions

It is divided into an anterior and a posterior part by the stylomandibular ligament.

Anterior part

The anterior part contains the submandibular gland, superficial to which is the anterior facial vein, while imbedded in the gland is the external maxillary artery and its glandular branches.

Beneath the gland, on the surface of the Mylohyoideus, are the submental artery and the mylohyoid artery and nerve.

Posterior part

The posterior part of this triangle contains the external carotid artery, ascending deeply in the substance of the parotid gland

This vessel lies here in front of, and superficial to, the internal carotid, being crossed by the facial nerve, and gives off in its course the posterior auricular, superficial temporal, and internal maxillary branches: more deeply are the internal carotid, the internal jugular vein, and the vagus nerve, separated from the external carotid by the Styloglossus and Stylopharyngeus, and the hypoglossal nerve

See also

Additional images

Summary of contents

There summarizes the important structures found in the submandibular triangle:

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 As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.