3D Medical Animation still shot structure Lingual Artery

The lingual artery arises from the external carotid artery between the

superior thyroid artery 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. Structure From its origin under the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid the su ...

and facial artery. It can be located easily in the tongue.

Structure

The lingual artery first branches off from the external carotid artery. It runs obliquely upward and medially to the greater horns of the hyoid bone. It then curves downward and forward, forming a loop which is crossed by the

hypoglossal nerve The hypoglossal nerve, also known as the twelfth cranial nerve, cranial nerve XII, or simply CN XII, is a cranial nerve that innervates all the extrinsic and intrinsic muscles of the tongue except for the palatoglossus, which is innervated ...

. It then passes beneath the

digastric muscle The digastric muscle (also digastricus) (named ''digastric'' as it has two 'bellies') is a small muscle located under the jaw. The term "digastric muscle" refers to this specific muscle. However, other muscles that have two separate muscle bell ...

and stylohyoid muscle running horizontally forward, beneath the hyoglossus. This takes it through the

sublingual space The sublingual space is a fascial space of the head and neck (sometimes also termed fascial spaces or tissue spaces). It is a potential space located below the mouth and above the mylohyoid muscle, and is part of the suprahyoid group of fascial sp ...

. Finally, ascending almost perpendicularly to the tongue, it turns forward on its lower surface as far as the tip of the tongue, now called the deep lingual artery ( profunda linguae).

Branches

The lingual artery gives 4 main branches: the deep lingual artery, the

sublingual artery The lingual artery arises from the external carotid artery between the superior thyroid artery and facial artery. It can be located easily in the tongue. Structure The lingual artery first branches off from the external carotid artery. It runs ob ...

, the suprahyoid branch, and the dorsal lingual branch.

Deep lingual artery

The deep lingual artery (or ranine artery) is the terminal portion of the lingual artery after the sublingual artery is given off. As seen in the picture, it travels superiorly in a tortuous course along the under (ventral) surface of the tongue, below the longitudinalis inferior, and above the mucous membrane. It lies on the lateral side of the

genioglossus The genioglossus is one of the paired extrinsic muscles of the tongue. The genioglossus is the major muscle responsible for protruding (or sticking out) the tongue. Structure Genioglossus is the fan-shaped extrinsic tongue muscle that forms the ma ...

, the main large extrinsic tongue muscle, accompanied by the lingual nerve. However, as seen in the picture, the deep lingual artery passes inferior to the hyoglossus (the cut muscle on the bottom) while the lingual nerve (not pictured) passes superior to it (for a comparison, the hypoglossal nerve, pictured, passes superior to the hyoglossus). At the tip of the tongue, it is said to anastomose with the artery of the opposite side, but this is denied by Hyrtl. In the mouth, these vessels are placed one on either side of the

frenulum linguæ The frenulum of tongue or tongue web (also lingual frenulum or frenulum linguæ; also fraenulum) is a small fold of mucous membrane extending from the floor of the mouth to the midline of the underside of the tongue. Development The tongue start ...

Sublingual artery

The sublingual artery arises at the anterior margin of the hyoglossus, and runs forward between the genioglossus and

mylohyoid muscle The mylohyoid muscle or diaphragma oris is a paired muscle of the neck. It runs from the mandible to the hyoid bone, forming the floor of the oral cavity of the mouth. It is named after its two attachments near the molar teeth. It forms the flo ...

to the sublingual gland. It supplies the gland and gives branches to the mylohyoideus and neighboring muscles, and to the mucous membrane of the mouth and

gums The gums or gingiva (plural: ''gingivae'') consist of the mucosal tissue that lies over the mandible and maxilla inside the mouth. Gum health and disease can have an effect on general health. Structure The gums are part of the soft tissue li ...

. One branch runs behind the alveolar process of the

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...

in the substance of the gum to anastomose with a similar artery from the other side; another pierces the mylohyoideus and anastomoses with the submental branch of the facial artery.

Other branches

# The suprahyoid branch of the lingual artery runs along the upper border of the hyoid bone, supplying

oxygenated blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the ci ...

to the muscles attached to it and joining ( anastomosing) with its fellow of the opposite side. # The dorsal lingual branches of lingual artery consist usually of two or three small branches which arise beneath the hyoglossus . They ascend medially to the back part of the dorsum of the tongue . They supply the mucous membranes, the

glossopalatine arch The palatoglossal arch (glossopalatine arch, anterior pillar of fauces) on either side runs downward, lateral (to the side), and forward to the side of the base of the tongue, and is formed by the projection of the glossopalatine muscle with its c ...

, the tonsil, soft palate, and

epiglottis The epiglottis is a leaf-shaped flap in the throat that prevents food and water from entering the trachea and the lungs. It stays open during breathing, allowing air into the larynx. During swallowing, it closes to prevent aspiration of food in ...

; anastomosing with the vessels of the opposite side.

Function

The lingual artery supplies the tongue. It also supplies the palatine tonsils.

Additional images

File:Slide3fff.JPG, Lingual artery File:Slide9hhh.JPG, Lingual artery

References

External links

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Branches
at University of Oklahoma {{Authority control Arteries of the head and neck Pharynx