Inferior thyroid artery

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Inferior thyroid artery
Thyrocervical trunk and its branches, including inferior thyroid artery. Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck.
Human parathyroid glands
Details
SourceThyrocervical trunk
VeinInferior thyroid veins
SuppliesThyroid gland
Identifiers
Latinarteria thyreoidea inferior
TA98A12.2.08.043
TA24591
FMA10662
Anatomical terminology

The inferior thyroid artery is an

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.

Structure

The branches of the inferior thyroid artery are the inferior laryngeal, the oesophageal, the tracheal, the ascending cervical and the pharyngeal arteries.

Branches

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

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

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

longus capitis muscle.[1]

The ascending cervical artery gives twigs to the neck muscles and these anastomose with branches of 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]

Clinical significance

The relationship between the recurrent laryngeal nerve and inferior thyroid artery is highly variable.[2] 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]

Additional images

  • The position and relation of the esophagus in the cervical region and in the posterior mediastinum. Seen from behind.
    The position and relation of the esophagus in the cervical region and in the posterior mediastinum. Seen from behind.

See also

  • Glandular branches of the superior thyroid artery

References

Public domain This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 581 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

  1. ^
    OCLC 1201341621.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  2. PMID 16455326
    .
  3. PMID 23401846
    .

External links

  • lesson5 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (antthyroidgland)
  • Yalçin B (February 2006). "Anatomic configurations of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and inferior thyroid artery". Surgery. 139 (2): 181–7.
    PMID 16455326
    .
  • Anatomy photo:32:06-0100 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Larynx: Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve and Inferior Laryngeal Artery"
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