Inferior thyroid artery | |
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![]() Thyrocervical trunk and its branches, including inferior thyroid artery. Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck. | |
![]() Human parathyroid glands | |
Details | |
Source | Thyrocervical trunk |
Vein | Inferior thyroid veins |
Supplies | Thyroid gland |
Identifiers | |
Latin | arteria thyreoidea inferior |
TA98 | A12.2.08.043 |
TA2 | 4591 |
FMA | 10662 |
Anatomical terminology |
The inferior thyroid artery is an artery in the neck. It arises from the thyrocervical trunk and passes upward, in front of the vertebral artery and longus colli muscle. It then turns medially behind the carotid sheath and its contents, and also behind the sympathetic trunk, the middle cervical ganglion resting upon the vessel.
Reaching the lower border of the thyroid gland it divides into two branches, which supply the postero-inferior parts of the gland, and anastomose with the superior thyroid artery, and with the corresponding artery of the opposite side.
The branches of the inferior thyroid artery are the inferior laryngeal, the oesophageal, the tracheal, the ascending cervical and the pharyngeal arteries.
Inferior laryngeal artery
The inferior laryngeal artery - accompanied by the recurrent laryngeal nerve - passes superior-ward upon the trachea [1] deep to the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle to reach the posterior surface of the larynx.[ citation needed ] At the inferior border of the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle, the artery enters the larynx. [1]
The artery supplies the muscles and mucosa of the larynx. [1]
It forms anastomoses with its contralateral partner, and the superior laryngeal branch of the superior thyroid artery. [1]
Tracheal branches
The tracheal branches are distributed on the trachea, and anastomose inferiorly with the bronchial arteries. [1]
Esophageal branches
The esophageal branches supply the esophagus, and anastomose with the esophageal branches of the thoracic aorta. [1]
Ascending cervical artery
The ascending cervical artery is a small branch which arises from the inferior thyroid artery as it turns medial-ward posterior to the carotid sheath. [1]
The artery ascends upon the anterior tubercles of the transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae between the anterior scalene muscle and longus capitis muscle. [1]
The ascending cervical artery gives twigs to the neck muscles and these anastomose with branches of the vertebral arteries. One or two spinal branches are sent into the spinal canal, through the intervertebral foramina to be distributed to the spinal cord and its membranes, and to the bodies of the vertebrae. It then anastomoses with the ascending pharyngeal and occipital arteries.
Pharyngeal branches
The pharyngeal branches are distributed to the inferior portion of the pharynx. [1]
Glandular branches
The glandular branches are supply the inferior and posterior portions of the thyroid gland. They anastomose with the ipsilateral superior thyroid artery, and the contralateral inferior thyroid artery. The ascending branch supplies the parathyroid gland as well. [1]
The relationship between the recurrent laryngeal nerve and inferior thyroid artery is highly variable. [2] The recurrent laryngeal nerve passes upward generally behind, but occasionally in front of, the inferior thyroid artery. This makes it vulnerable to injury during surgery that involves ligating the inferior thyroid artery, such as excision of the lower pole of the thyroid gland. Also as the parathyroid is mainly supplied by inferior thyroid artery accidental ligation during thyroidectomy can cause hypoparathyroidism.
The injection of dye into the inferior thyroid artery can be used as an alternate method in identification the recurrent laryngeal nerve. [3]
The vagus nerve, also known as the tenth cranial nerve, cranial nerve X, or simply CN X, is a cranial nerve that carries sensory fibers that create a pathway that interfaces with the parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. It comprises two nerves—the left and right vagus nerves—but they are typically referred to collectively as a single subsystem. The vagus is the longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system in the human body and comprises both sensory and motor fibers. The sensory fibers originate from neurons of the nodose ganglion, whereas the motor fibers come from neurons of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and the nucleus ambiguus. The vagus was also historically called the pneumogastric nerve.
Articles related to anatomy include:
The external carotid artery is a major artery of the head and neck. It arises from the common carotid artery when it splits into the external and internal carotid artery. The external carotid artery supplies blood to the face, brain and neck.
The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is a branch of the vagus nerve that supplies all the intrinsic muscles of the larynx, with the exception of the cricothyroid muscles. There are two recurrent laryngeal nerves, right and left. The right and left nerves are not symmetrical, with the left nerve looping under the aortic arch, and the right nerve looping under the right subclavian artery then traveling upwards. They both travel alongside the trachea. Additionally, the nerves are among the few nerves that follow a recurrent course, moving in the opposite direction to the nerve they branch from, a fact from which they gain their name.
The posterior cricoarytenoid muscle is a intrinsic muscle of the larynx. It arises from the cricoid cartilage; it inserts onto the arytenoid cartilage of the same side. It is innervated by the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Each acts to open the vocal folds by pulling the vocal fold of the same side laterally. It participates in the production of sounds.
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The sternothyroid muscle is an infrahyoid muscle of the neck. It acts to depress the hyoid bone.
The thyrohyoid muscle is a small skeletal muscle of the neck. Above, it attaches onto the greater cornu of the hyoid bone; below, it attaches onto the oblique line of the thyroid cartilage. It is innervated by fibres derived from the cervical spinal nerve 1 that run with the hypoglossal nerve to reach this muscle. The thyrohyoid muscle depresses the hyoid bone and elevates the larynx during swallowing. By controlling the position and shape of the larynx, it aids in making sound.
The inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle is a skeletal muscle of the neck. It is the thickest of the three outer pharyngeal muscles. It arises from the sides of the cricoid cartilage and the thyroid cartilage. It is supplied by the vagus nerve. It is active during swallowing, and partially during breathing and speech. It may be affected by Zenker's diverticulum.
The stylopharyngeus muscle is a muscle in the head. It originates from the temporal styloid process. Some of its fibres insert onto the thyroid cartilage, while others end by intermingling with proximal structures. It is innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve. It acts to elevate the larynx and pharynx, and dilate the pharynx, thus facilitating swallowing.
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.
The ascending pharyngeal artery is an artery of the neck that supplies the pharynx.
The superior laryngeal nerve is a branch of the vagus nerve. It arises from the middle of the inferior ganglion of vagus nerve and additionally also receives a sympathetic branch from the superior cervical ganglion.
In anatomy, arterial tree is used to refer to all arteries and/or the branching pattern of the arteries. This article regards the human arterial tree. Starting from the aorta:
The carotid triangle is a portion of the anterior triangle of the neck.
The inferior cervical ganglion is one of the three cervical sympathetic ganglia. It situated between the base of the transverse process of the last cervical vertebra and the neck of the first rib, on the medial side of the costocervical artery.
The pharyngeal plexus is a nerve plexus located upon the outer surface of the pharynx. It contains a motor component, a sensory component, and sympathetic component.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to human anatomy:
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 581 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
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