facial artery

The facial artery is one of the branches of the external carotid artery and supplies blood to the structures of the face.

Summary

• origin: branch of the external carotid artery a little above the level of the lingual artery, in the carotid triangle of the neck
• course: passes deep to the posterior belly of the digastric muscle, the stylohyoid muscle and the submandibular gland; it then continues its tortuous course over the inferior border of the mandible towards the nasolabial fold
• branches
  • cervical
    • ascending palatine artery
    • tonsillar branch
    • submental artery
    • glandular branches
  • facial
    • inferior labial artery
    • superior labial artery
    • lateral nasal branch
• termination: anterior face as angular artery (terminal branch) at the medial canthus of the eye

Variant anatomy

The facial artery may arise from a common trunk with the lingual artery, the linguofacial trunk.

History and etymology

The facial artery was previously known as the external maxillary artery, e.g. old editions of Gray's anatomy . This was in contradistinction to the internal maxillary artery which is now known simply as the maxillary artery.

Siehe auch:

• Arteria carotis externa
• Arteria lingualis

und weiter:

• Musculus digastricus
• external carotid artery branches (mnemonic)
• Arteria buccalis
• Arteria infraorbitalis