Alar fascia

Alar fascia
Section of the neck at about the level of the sixth cervical vertebra. Showing the arrangement of the fascia coli.
Details
Identifiers
Latin	lamina alaris fasciae cervicalis
TA2	2217
Anatomical terminology [ edit on Wikidata]

The alar fascia a portion of prevertebral fascia that may or may not be considered a distinct anatomical structure. ^[1] When acknowledged, it is described as anterior to the prevertebral fascia.

Anatomy

Superiorly, it extends to the base of the skull; inferiorly, it extends to the second thoracic vertebra. ^[2] Inferiorly, it unites with the visceral fascia of the neck. ^[1]

Anatomical relations

The alar fascia represents the posterior boundary of the retropharyngeal space. ^[3]

Research

In 2015, the anatomy of the alar fascia was revisited using dissection in conjunction with E12 plastination. The authors revealed that the alar fascia originated as a well defined midline structure at the level of C1 and does not reach the base of the skull. It is suggested that the area between C1 and the base of the skull is a potential entry into the danger space. ^[4]

See also

• Retrovisceral space

References

1. Fehrenbach, Margaret J.; Herring, Susan W. (2017). Illustrated Anatomy of the Head and Neck (5th ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier. p. 267. ISBN   978-0-323-39634-9.
2. Kyung Won, PhD. Chung (2005). Gross Anatomy (Board Review). Hagerstown, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 362. ISBN   0-7817-5309-0.
3. Mnatsakanian, Ani; Minutello, Katrina; Bordoni, Bruno (2022), "Anatomy, Head and Neck, Retropharyngeal Space", StatPearls, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, PMID   30725729 , retrieved 2022-07-24
4. Frank Scali; Lance G Nash; Matthew E Pontell (2015). "Defining the Morphology and Distribution of the Alar Fascia: A Sheet Plastination Investigation". Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology. 124: 814–9. doi:10.1177/0003489415588129. PMID   25991834.