Ascending palatine artery
Encyclopedia
The ascending palatine artery is an artery
in the head that branches off the facial artery
and runs up the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle.
and passes up between the styloglossus
and stylopharyngeus to the side of the pharynx
along which it is continued between the superior pharyngeal constrictor and the medial pterygoid muscle
to near the base of the skull
.
It divides near the levator veli palatini
muscle into two branches: one supplies and follows the course of this muscle, and, winding over the upper border of the superior pharyngeal constrictor, supplies the soft palate
and the palatine glands
, anastomosing with its fellow of the opposite side and with the descending palatine branch of the maxillary artery; the other pierces the superior pharyngeal constrictor and supplies the palatine tonsil and auditory tube, anastomosing with the tonsillar branch of the facial artery
and the ascending pharyngeal artery
.
Artery
Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. This blood is normally oxygenated, exceptions made for the pulmonary and umbilical arteries....
in the head that branches off the facial artery
Facial artery
The facial artery is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies structures of the superficial face.-Structure:...
and runs up the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle.
Structure
The ascending palatine artery arises close to the origin of the facial arteryFacial artery
The facial artery is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies structures of the superficial face.-Structure:...
and passes up between the styloglossus
Styloglossus
The Styloglossus, the shortest and smallest of the three styloid muscles, arises from the anterior and lateral surfaces of the styloid process, near its apex, and from the stylomandibular ligament....
and stylopharyngeus to the side of the pharynx
Pharynx
The human pharynx is the part of the throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and anterior to the esophagus and larynx. The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections: the nasopharynx , the oropharynx , and the laryngopharynx...
along which it is continued between the superior pharyngeal constrictor and the medial pterygoid muscle
Medial pterygoid muscle
The medial pterygoid , is a thick, quadrilateral muscle of mastication.The mandibular branch of the fifth cranial nerve, the trigeminal nerve, innervates the medial pterygoid muscle.-Origin and insertion:...
to near the base of the skull
Base of the skull
The base of skull is the most inferior area of the skull, composed of the endocranium and lower parts of the skull roof.-Bones:*Ethmoid bone*Sphenoid bone*Occipital bone*Frontal bone*Parietal bone*Temporal bone**Petrous portion of the temporal bone...
.
It divides near the levator veli palatini
Levator veli palatini
The levator veli palatini is the elevator muscle of the soft palate in the human body. During swallowing, it contracts, elevating the soft palate to help prevent food from entering the nasopharynx...
muscle into two branches: one supplies and follows the course of this muscle, and, winding over the upper border of the superior pharyngeal constrictor, supplies the soft palate
Soft palate
The soft palate is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is distinguished from the hard palate at the front of the mouth in that it does not contain bone....
and the palatine glands
Palatine glands
The palatine glands form a continuous layer on the posterior surface of the mucous membrane of the soft palate and around the uvula.They are pure mucous glands....
, anastomosing with its fellow of the opposite side and with the descending palatine branch of the maxillary artery; the other pierces the superior pharyngeal constrictor and supplies the palatine tonsil and auditory tube, anastomosing with the tonsillar branch of the facial artery
Tonsillar branch of the facial artery
The tonsillar branch of the facial artery ascends between the Pterygoideus internus and Styloglossus, and then along the side of the pharynx, perforating the Constrictor pharyngis superior, to ramify in the substance of the palatine tonsil and root of the tongue....
and the ascending pharyngeal artery
Ascending pharyngeal artery
The ascending pharyngeal artery, the smallest branch of the external carotid, is a long, slender vessel, deeply seated in the neck, beneath the other branches of the external carotid and under the Stylopharyngeus...
.