Maxillary artery

Maxillary artery

Plan of branches of maxillary artery. ("Internal maxillary" is horizontal at left center.)

Plan of branches of maxillary artery.
Details
Precursor aortic arch 1
Source external carotid artery
Branches 1st part: anterior tympanic - deep auricular - middle meningeal - superior tympanic - accessory meningeal - inferior alveolar
2nd part: Posterior deep temporal artery - Pterygoid branches - masseteric - buccinator - Anterior deep temporal artery
3rd part: posterior superior alveolar - infraorbital - descending palatine - artery of the pterygoid canal - sphenopalatine
Vein maxillary veins
Identifiers
Latin arteria maxillaris
Dorlands
/Elsevier
a_61/12154985
TA A12.2.05.053
FMA 49675

Anatomical terminology

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, arises behind the neck of the mandible, and is at first imbedded in the substance of the parotid gland; it passes forward between the ramus of the mandible and the sphenomandibular ligament, and then runs, either superficial or deep to the lateral pterygoid muscle, to the pterygopalatine fossa.

It supplies the deep structures of the face, and may be divided into mandibular, pterygoid, and pterygopalatine portions.

First portion

The first or mandibular portion passes horizontally forward, between the neck of the mandible and the sphenomandibular ligament, where it lies parallel to and a little below the auriculotemporal nerve; it crosses the inferior alveolar nerve, and runs along the lower border of the lateral pterygoid muscle.

Branches include:

Second portion

The second or pterygoid portion runs obliquely forward and upward under cover of the ramus of the mandible and insertion of the temporalis, on the superficial (very frequently on the deep) surface of the lateral pterygoid muscle; it then passes between the two heads of origin of this muscle and enters the fossa.

Branches include:

Third portion

The third or pterygomaxillary portion lies in the pterygopalatine fossa in relation with the pterygopalatine ganglion. This is considered the terminal branch of the maxillary artery.

Branches include:

Nomenclature

Additional images

References

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

External links


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