The artery of the pterygoid canal (or Vidian artery) is an

artery An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pu ...

in the pterygoid canal, in the head. It usually arises from the

external carotid artery 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. External carotid artery supplies blood to the face and neck. Structure T ...

, but can arise from either the

internal Internal may refer to: *Internality as a concept in behavioural economics *Neijia, internal styles of Chinese martial arts *Neigong or "internal skills", a type of exercise in meditation associated with Daoism *''Internal (album)'' by Safia, 2016 ...

or serve as an

anastomosis An anastomosis (, plural anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection may be norm ...

between the two. The eponym, Vidian artery, is derived from the Italian surgeon and anatomist

Vidus Vidius Guido Guidi (Latinized name Vidus Vidius) (10 February 1509 – 26 May 1569), was an Italian surgeon, anatomist and translator. Biography His father was a physician and his mother was the daughter of the painter Domenico Ghirlandajo. After p ...

From external carotid artery

In this case; the artery passes backward along the pterygoid canal with the corresponding nerve. It is distributed to the upper part of the

pharynx The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its st ...

and to the

auditory tube Auditory means of or relating to the process of hearing: * Auditory system, the neurological structures and pathways of sound perception ** Auditory bulla, part of auditory system found in mammals other than primates ** Auditory nerve, also known ...

, sending into the

tympanic cavity The tympanic cavity is a small cavity surrounding the bones of the middle ear. Within it sit the ossicles, three small bones that transmit vibrations used in the detection of sound. Structure On its lateral surface, it abuts the external auditor ...

a small branch which anastomoses with the other tympanic arteries. It can end in the

oropharynx The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its struc ...

From internal carotid artery

In this case; the artery passes inferiorly through foramen lacerum towards the oropharynx, with its main trunk continuing anteriorly through the pterygoid canal to anastomose with the pterygopalatine part of the

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, ...

. The artery is small and inconstant, passing through the pterygoid canal in an opposite direction to its corresponding nerve.

References

External links

* * http://neuroangio.org/anatomy-and-variants/mandibulovidian-artery/ {{Authority control Arteries of the head and neck

From external carotid artery

From internal carotid artery

See also

References

External links