Maxillary artery
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At the time the article was created Frank Gaillard had no recorded disclosures.
View Frank Gaillard's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Yvette Mellam had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Yvette Mellam's current disclosures- Internal maxillary artery
- Maxillary arteries
- Internal maxillary arteries
The (internal) maxillary artery is the larger of the two terminal branches of the external carotid artery.
On this page:
Origin and course
The maxillary artery's origin is behind the neck of the mandible, at first, it is embedded in the substance of the parotid gland. From there it passes anterior 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.
The maxillary artery is divided into three portions by its relation to the lateral pterygoid muscle:
first (mandibular) part: posterior to lateral pterygoid muscle (five branches)
second (pterygoid or muscular) part: within lateral pterygoid muscle (five branches)
third (pterygopalatine) part: anterior to lateral pterygoid muscle (six branches including terminal branch)
Branches
First (mandibular) part
Five branches, each of which enters a bony foramen:
middle meningeal artery (enters foramen spinosum)
accessory meningeal artery (enters foramen ovale)
-
inferior alveolar artery (enters mandibular foramen)
artery to mylohyoid
Second (pterygoid or muscular) part
Five branches although pterygoid branches are irregular in their number and origin:
anterior, middle and posterior deep temporal branches 5
pterygoid branches
Third (pterygopalatine) part
Six branches including the terminal branch:
artery of the pterygoid canal
pharyngeal artery (enters palatovaginal canal)
descending palatine artery (enters greater palatine foramen)
sphenopalatine artery - terminal branch (enters sphenopalatine foramen)
See also
a long mnemonic to remember these branches
References
- 1. Standring S (editor). Gray's Anatomy (39th edition). Churchill Livingstone. (2011) ISBN:0443066841. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Gray H. Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th edition. ISBN:1587341026. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Whitaker RH, Borley NR. Instant anatomy. Wiley-Blackwell. (2000) ISBN:0632054034. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 4. Kim JK, Cho JH, Lee YJ et-al. Anatomical variability of the maxillary artery: findings from 100 Asian cadaveric dissections. Arch. Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. 16;136 (8): 813-8. doi:10.1001/archoto.2010.121 - Pubmed citation
- 5. James Vincent Byrne. Tutorials in Endovascular Neurosurgery and Interventional Neuroradiology. (2017) ISBN: 9783319548357
Incoming Links
- Mandible
- Dura mater
- Temporalis muscle
- Infratemporal fossa
- Kiesselbach plexus
- Pterygopalatine fossa
- Pharyngeal muscles
- Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma
- Deep temporal arteries
- Greater palatine artery
- Superior alveolar arteries
- Palatovaginal canal
- Parotid gland
- Pharyngeal nerve
- Maxillary sinus
- Buccinator artery
- Middle ear
- Posterior superior alveolar artery
- Soft palate
- Pterygomaxillary fissure
Related articles: Anatomy: Head and neck
- skeleton of the head and neck
-
cranial vault
- scalp (mnemonic)
- fontanelle
-
sutures
- calvarial
- facial
- frontozygomatic suture
- frontomaxillary suture
- frontolacrimal suture
- frontonasal suture
- temporozygomatic suture
- zygomaticomaxillary suture
- parietotemporal suture (parietomastoid suture)
- occipitotemporal suture (occipitomastoid suture)
- sphenofrontal suture
- sphenozygomatic suture
- spheno-occipital suture (not a true suture)
- lacrimomaxillary suture
- nasomaxillary suture
- internasal suture
- basal/internal
- skull landmarks
- frontal bone
- temporal bone
- parietal bone
- occipital bone
- skull base (foramina)
-
facial bones
- midline single bones
- paired bilateral bones
- cervical spine
- hyoid bone
- laryngeal cartilages
-
cranial vault
- muscles of the head and neck
- muscles of the tongue (mnemonic)
- muscles of mastication
-
facial muscles
- epicranius muscle
- circumorbital and palpebral muscles
- nasal muscles
-
buccolabial muscles
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- levator labii superioris alaeque nasalis muscle
- levator labii superioris muscle
- zygomaticus major muscle
- zygomaticus minor muscle
- levator anguli oris muscle
- malaris muscle
- risorius muscle
- depressors, retractors and evertors of the lower lip
- depressor labii inferioris muscle
- depressor anguli oris muscle
- mentalis muscle
- compound sphincter
-
orbicularis oris muscle
- incisivus labii superioris muscle
- incisivus labii inferioris muscle
-
orbicularis oris muscle
- muscle of mastication
- modiolus
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- muscles of the middle ear
- orbital muscles
- muscles of the soft palate
- pharyngeal muscles
- suprahyoid muscles
- infrahyoid muscles
- intrinsic muscles of the larynx
- muscles of the neck
- platysma muscle
- longus colli muscle
- longus capitis muscle
- scalenus anterior muscle
- scalenus medius muscle
- scalenus posterior muscle
- scalenus pleuralis muscle
- sternocleidomastoid muscle
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suboccipital muscles
- rectus capitis posterior major muscle
- rectus capitis posterior minor muscle
- obliquus capitis superior muscle
- obliquus capitis inferior muscle
- accessory muscles of the neck
- deep cervical fascia
-
deep spaces of the neck
- anterior cervical space
- buccal space
- carotid space
- danger space
- deep cervical fascia
- infratemporal fossa
- masticator space
- parapharyngeal space
- stylomandibular tunnel
- parotid space
- pharyngeal (superficial) mucosal space
- perivertebral space
- posterior cervical space
- pterygopalatine fossa
- retropharyngeal space
- suprasternal space (of Burns)
- visceral space
- surgical triangles of the neck
- orbit
- ear
- paranasal sinuses
- upper respiratory tract
- viscera of the neck
- blood supply of the head and neck
-
arterial supply
-
common carotid artery
- carotid body
- carotid bifurcation
- subclavian artery
- variants
-
common carotid artery
- venous drainage
-
arterial supply
- innervation of the head and neck
-
cranial nerves
- olfactory nerve (CN I)
- optic nerve (CN II)
- oculomotor nerve (CN III)
- trochlear nerve (CN IV)
-
trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
- trigeminal ganglion
- ophthalmic division
- maxillary division
- mandibular division
- abducens nerve (CN VI)
- facial nerve (CN VII)
-
vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
- vestibular ganglion (Scarpa's ganglion)
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
- vagus nerve (CN X)
- (spinal) accessory nerve (CN XI)
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
- parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck
- cervical sympathetic ganglia
- greater occipital nerve
- third occipital nerve
-
cervical plexus
- muscular branches
- longus capitis
- longus colli
- scalenes
- geniohyoid
- thyrohyoid
-
ansa cervicalis
- omohyoid (superior and inferior bellies separately)
- sternothyroid
- sternohyoid
- phrenic nerve
- contribution to the accessory nerve (CN XI)
- cutaneous branches
- muscular branches
- brachial plexus
- pharyngeal plexus
-
cranial nerves
- lymphatic drainage of the head and neck
- embryological development of the head and neck
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