Skull and Face: Arteries, Veins, Nerves, and Muscles

Arteries and Superficial Veins of the Skull and Face

Neck Origin:

• **Arteries:** Common carotid, internal and external carotid.
• **Veins:** Internal and external jugular vein.

Jugular Vein Origin:

• Retromandibular vein (posterior to the jaw)
• Posterior auricular vein (behind the ear)
• Occipital vein (in the occipital region)
• Emissary vein (by the occipital region)
• Parietal emissary vein (parietal and occipital region)
• Nasofrontal vein (frontal nose and region)
• Dorsal nasal vein
• Zygomaticotemporal vein
• Angular vein (eye)
• Zygomaticofacial vein
• Infraorbital vein

Carotid Artery Origin:

• Posterior auricular artery
• Occipital artery
• Anterior auricular artery
• Superficial temporal artery
• Zygomatico-orbital artery
• Supraorbital artery
• Supratrochlear artery
• Dorsal nasal artery
• Zygomaticotemporal artery
• Angular artery
• Zygomaticofacial artery
• Infraorbital artery
• Facial artery

Cranial Nerves

• **Olfactory (I):** Sensory, responsible for smell.
• **Optic (II):** Sensory, related to the pituitary gland, responsible for vision.
• **Oculomotor (III):** Motor, controls eye movement and pupil size.
• **Trochlear (IV):** Motor, innervates the superior oblique eye muscle.
• **Trigeminal (V):** Sensory and motor. It has three branches:
  • Ophthalmic
  • Maxillary
  • Mandibular
  Controls the muscles of mastication and facial sensation.
• **Abducens (VI):** Motor, responsible for lateral eye movement.
• **Facial (VII):** Complex, innervates the muscles of facial expression, responsible for taste in the anterior 2/3 of the tongue.
• **Vestibulocochlear (VIII):** Sensory, responsible for balance and hearing.
• **Glossopharyngeal (IX):** Complex, involved in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing.
• **Vagus (X):** Involved in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing, controls tachycardia, innervates tonsils, larynx, and stomach.
• **Accessory (XI):** Motor, innervates the larynx, sternocleidomastoid, and trapezius muscles.
• **Hypoglossal (XII):** Motor, innervates the tongue and its muscles.

Trigeminal Nerve Branches:

Ethmoid, long and short ciliary (goes to the eye), lacrimal, nasociliary (nose and eye), frontal, ophthalmic, mandibular, maxillary, zygomatic, zygomaticofacial, zygomaticotemporal, trochlear, supraorbital.

Muscles of the Face

Frontalis, corrugator supercilii, orbicularis oculi, levator labii superioris alaeque nasi, nasalis, levator labii superioris, anterior auricular, zygomaticus major and minor, levator anguli oris, depressor septi nasi, buccinator, risorius, orbicularis oris, depressor anguli oris, depressor labii inferioris, mentalis, platysma (neck).

Muscles of the Neck

Styloglossus, masseter, hyoglossus, mylohyoid, stylohyoid, digastric, middle constrictor of the pharynx, longus capitis, splenius capitis, sternocleidomastoid, scalenes, trapezius, levator scapulae, deltoid.

Anterior Neck Muscles:

Stylohyoid, sternohyoid, omohyoid, thyrohyoid, inferior constrictor of the pharynx.

Neck Veins:

Facial vein, retromandibular vein, internal jugular vein, external and anterior communicating vein, superior thyroid vein.

Neck Arteries:

External and common carotid artery, superior thyroid artery.

Neck Nerves:

Facial nerve (under the jaw, next to the facial artery and vein), auricular nerve (lateral neck), transverse cervical nerve (crosses the lower part of the neck from lateral to medial), supraclavicular nerve, lesser occipital nerve, spinal accessory nerve (by the middle of the neck), accessory nerve (by the middle lateral neck), phrenic nerve (near the medial clavicle), brachial plexus (near the clavicle laterally), vagus nerve (medially between the carotid artery and jugular vein), hypoglossal nerve (medial to the stylohyoid muscle), laryngeal nerve (next to the larynx).