| Facial artery |
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The arteries of the face and scalp. (External maxillary visible at bottom center.)
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Outline of side of face, showing chief surface markings. (Label for "Ext. Max. Art." at bottom left.)
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| Details |
| Source |
external carotid artery |
| Branches |
Ascending palatine artery
Tonsillar branch
Submental artery
Glandular branches
Inferior labial artery
Superior labial artery
Lateral nasal branch
Angular artery (terminal branch) |
| Vein |
anterior facial vein, posterior facial vein |
| Identifiers |
| Latin |
arteria facialis,
arteria maxillaris externa |
Dorlands
/Elsevier |
a_61/12154265 |
| TA |
A12.2.05.020 |
| FMA |
49549 |
Anatomical terminology
[edit on Wikidata]
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The facial artery (external maxillary artery in older texts) is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies structures of the superficial face.
Contents
- 1 Structure
- 2 Relations
- 3 Branches
- 4 Muscles
- 5 Additional images
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
Structure
The facial artery arises in the carotid triangle from the external carotid artery a little above the lingual artery and, sheltered by the ramus of the mandible, passes obliquely up beneath the digastric and stylohyoid muscles, over which it arches to enter a groove on the posterior surface of the submandibular gland.
It then curves upward over the body of the mandible at the antero-inferior angle of the masseter; passes forward and upward across the cheek to the angle of the mouth, then ascends along the side of the nose, and ends at the medial commissure of the eye, under the name of the angular artery.
The facial artery is remarkably tortuous. This is to accommodate itself to neck movements such as those of the pharynx in deglutition; and facial movements such as those of the mandible, lips, and cheeks.
Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck, showing the carotid and subclavian artery. Branch of facial artery labeled
Relations
In the neck, its origin is superficial, being covered by the integument, platysma, and fascia; it then passes beneath the digastric and stylohyoid muscles and part of the submandibular gland, but superficial to the hypoglossal nerve.
It lies upon the middle pharyngeal constrictor and the superior pharyngeal constrictor, the latter of which separates it, at the summit of its arch, from the lower and back part of the tonsil.
On the face, where it passes over the body of the mandible, it is comparatively superficial, lying immediately beneath the dilators of the mouth. In its course over the face, it is covered by the integument, the fat of the cheek, and, near the angle of the mouth, by the platysma, risorius, and zygomaticus major. It rests on the buccinator and levator anguli oris, and passes either over or under the infraorbital head of the levator labii superioris.
The anterior facial vein lies lateral/posterior to the artery, and takes a more direct course across the face, where it is separated from the artery by a considerable interval. In the neck it lies superficial to the artery.
The branches of the facial nerve cross the artery from behind forward.
The facial artery anastomoses with (among others) the dorsal nasal artery of the internal carotid artery.
Branches
The branches of the facial artery are:
- cervical
- Ascending palatine artery
- Tonsillar branch
- Submental artery
- Glandular branches
- facial
- Inferior labial artery
- Superior labial artery
- Lateral nasal branch to nasalis muscle
- Angular artery - the terminal branch
Muscles
Muscles supplied by the facial artery include:
- buccinator
- levator anguli oris
- levator labii superioris
- levator labii superioris alaeque nasi
- levator veli palatini
- masseter
- mentalis
- mylohyoid
- nasalis
- palatoglossus
- palatopharyngeus
- platysma
- procerus
- risorius
- styloglossus
- transverse portion of the nasalis
Additional images
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Mandible. Outer surface. Side view.
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Diagram showing the origins of the main branches of the carotid arteries.
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Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck, showing the carotid and subclavian arteries.
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Bloodvessels of the eyelids, front view.
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Side of neck, showing chief surface markings.
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Facial artery.Deep dissection.Lateral view.
See also
References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Facial artery. |
- "Facial artery". Medcyclopaedia. GE. Archived from the original on 2012-02-05.
- Anatomy photo:23:09-0101 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "The Facial Artery and Vein"
- Anatomy figure: 25:04-04 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Branches of the external carotid artery."
- Anatomy photo:31:09-0106 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Common Carotid Artery and Branches of the External Carotid Artery"
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Arteries of the head and neck
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| CC |
| EC |
| sup. thyroid |
- superior laryngeal
- sternocleidomastoid branch
- infrahyoid branch
- cricothyroid branch
- glandular branches
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| asc. pharyngeal |
- posterior meningeal
- pharyngeal branches
- inferior tympanic
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| lingual |
- suprahyoid
- dorsal lingual
- deep lingual
- sublingual
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| facial |
- cervical branches (ascending palatine, tonsillar, submental, glandular)
- facial branches (inferior labial
- superior labial / nasal septum
- lateral nasal
- angular)
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| occipital |
- sternocleidomastoid
- meningeal
- occipital
- auricular
- descending
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| post. auricular |
- stylomastoid
- stapedial
- auricular
- occipital
- Parotid
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| sup. temporal |
- transverse facial
- middle temporal (zygomatico-orbital)
- anterior auricular
- frontal
- parietal
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| maxillary |
| 1st part / mandibular |
- anterior tympanic
- deep auricular
- middle meningeal (superior tympanic, petrosal)
- accessory meningeal
- inferior alveolar (mental, mylohyoid)
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| 2nd part / pterygoid |
- to muscles of mastication (deep temporal, pterygoid, masseteric)
- buccal
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| 3rd part / pterygopalatine |
- posterior superior alveolar
- infraorbital (anterior superior alveolar)
- descending palatine (greater palatine, lesser palatine)
- artery of the pterygoid canal
- sphenopalatine (posterior septal branches, posterior lateral nasal)
- pharyngeal
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| IC |
| cervical |
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| petrous |
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cavernous/
ophthalmic |
- orbital group:anterior ethmoidal (anterior septal, anterior lateral nasal, anterior meningeal)
- posterior ethmoidal
- lacrimal (lateral palpebral)
- medial palpebral
- terminal (supraorbital, supratrochlear, dorsal nasal)
ocular group: central retinal
- ciliary (short posterior, long posterior, anterior)
- hypophysial (superior, inferior)
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| Willis/Cerebral |
- ACA (anterior communicating, medial striate, Orbitofrontal artery)
- MCA (anterolateral central, Prefrontal artery, Superior terminal branch, Inferior terminal branch, Anterior temporal branch)
- posterior communicating
- anterior choroidal
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| SC |
| vertebral artery |
- meningeal
- spinal (posterior, anterior)
- basilar: pontine
- labyrinthine
- cerebellar (AICA, SCA, PICA)
- cerebral (PCA)
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| thyrocervical trunk |
| inferior thyroid |
- inferior laryngeal
- tracheal
- esophageal
- ascending cervical
- pharyngeal
- glandular branches
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| transverse cervical |
- superficial branch
- deep branch / dorsal scapular
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| suprascapular |
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| costocervical trunk |
- deep cervical
- Supreme Intercostal artery
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