Transverse cervical artery
| Artery: Transverse cervical artery | |
|---|---|
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| Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck, showing the carotid and subclavian arteries (transverse cervical artery is labeled, branching from the thyrocervical trunk) | |
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| Superficial and deep branches from the transverse cervical artery | |
| Latin | Arteria transversa cervicis, arteria transversa colli |
| Gray's | p.82 |
| Supplies | The trapezius and Sternocleidomastoid muscles |
| Source | Thyrocervical trunk |
| Branches | Superficial branch Deep branch |
| Vein | Transverse cervical veins |
The transverse cervical artery (transverse artery of neck or transversa colli artery) is an artery in the neck and a branch of the thyrocervical trunk, running at a higher level than the suprascapular artery.
Path
It passes transversely above the inferior belly of the omohyoid muscle to the anterior margin of the trapezius, beneath which it divides into a superficial and a deep branch.
It crosses in front of the phrenic nerve and the scalene muscles, and in front of or between the divisions of the brachial plexus, and is covered by the platysma and sternocleidomastoid muscles, and crossed by the omohyoid and trapezius.
Branches
The transverse cervical artery splits into two branches, a superficial one and a deep one:
- Superficial branch (also known as the superficial cervical artery)
- Deep branch (also called the dorsal scapular artery). Descending branch in older literature. Most often, however, this artery branches directly from the subclavian artery.
Additional images
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Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck, showing the carotid and subclavian arteries
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The dorsal scapular artery, sometimes a branch from the transverse cervical artery
References
This article incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy.
External links
- 01:04-0100 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center – "Muscles of the Back: Spinal Accessory Nerve (CN XI) and Transverse Cervical Vessels"
- SUNY Figs 26:03-04 – "Branches of the first part of the subclavian artery."
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