In human anatomy, the stapedial branch of
posterior auricular artery
The posterior auricular artery is a small artery that arises from the external carotid artery, above the digastric muscle and stylohyoid muscle, opposite the apex of the styloid process.
It ascends posteriorly beneath the parotid gland, along t ...
, or stapedial artery for short, is a small artery supplying the
stapedius muscle
The stapedius is the smallest skeletal muscle in the human body. At just over one millimeter in length, its purpose is to stabilize the smallest bone in the body, the stapes or strirrup bone of the middle ear.
Structure
The stapedius emerges from ...
in the
inner ear.
Structure
In humans
In humans, the stapedial artery is normally present in the
fetus
A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal dev ...
where it connects what is to become the
external
External may refer to:
* External (mathematics), a concept in abstract algebra
* Externality
In economics, an externality or external cost is an indirect cost or benefit to an uninvolved third party that arises as an effect of another party' ...
and
internal carotid arteries
The internal carotid artery (Latin: arteria carotis interna) is an artery in the neck which supplies the anterior circulation of the brain. In human anatomy, the internal and external carotids arise from the common carotid arteries, where these ...
.
Part of the carotid artery system, it originates from the dorsal branch of
aortic arch
The aortic arch, arch of the aorta, or transverse aortic arch () is the part of the aorta between the ascending and descending aorta. The arch travels backward, so that it ultimately runs to the left of the trachea.
Structure
The aorta begins ...
. Its superior supraorbital branch becomes the
middle meningeal artery
The middle meningeal artery ('' la, arteria meningea media'') is typically the third branch of the first portion of the maxillary artery. After branching off the maxillary artery in the infratemporal fossa, it runs through the foramen spinosum t ...
, while its infraorbital and mandibular branches fuses with the external carotid artery and later become the
internal maxillary artery
The maxillary artery supplies deep structures of the face. It branches from the external carotid artery just deep to the neck of the mandible.
Structure
The maxillary artery, the larger of the two terminal branches of the external carotid artery, ...
. Its trunk atrophies and is replaced by branches from the external carotid artery.
In rare cases, the embryonic structure is still present after birth in which case it is referred to as a persistent stapedial artery (PSA).
While the prevalence of this anomaly is unknown, it has been estimated to be present in 1 of 5,000 people.
In other mammals
Structures homologous to the stapedial artery in humans and other
primates can be derived from a primitive, hypothetical pattern similar to that found in primitive rodents: the stapedial artery enters the
middle cranial fossa
The middle cranial fossa, deeper than the anterior cranial fossa, is narrow medially and widens laterally to the sides of the skull. It is separated from the posterior fossa by the clivus and the petrous crest.
It is bounded in front by the pos ...
and splits into the anterior and inferior divisions of the superior ramus and the inferior ramus. The inferior ramus has been lost in
strepsirhines while the stem of the stapedial artery has been reduced in
haplorhines.
Notes
References
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{{Authority control
Arteries of the head and neck