Inferior thyroid artery

Artery: Inferior thyroid artery
Thyrocervical trunk and its branches, including inferior thyroid artery. Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck.
Human parathyroid glands
Latin	arteria thyreoidea inferior
Gray's	subject #148 581
Supplies	thyroid
Source	thyrocervical trunk
Vein	inferior thyroid veins

The inferior thyroid artery arises from the thyrocervical trunk and passes upward, in front of the vertebral artery and Longus colli, then turns medially behind the carotid sheath and its contents, and also behind the sympathetic trunk, the middle cervical ganglion resting upon the vessel.

Reaching the lower border of the thyroid gland it divides into two branches, which supply the postero-inferior parts of the gland, and anastomose with the superior thyroid artery, and with the corresponding artery of the opposite side.

The recurrent laryngeal nerve passes upward generally behind, but occasionally in front of, the artery. This makes it vulnerable to injury during surgery that involves ligating the inferior thyroid artery, such as excision of the lower pole of the thyroid gland.

Branches

Inferior thyroid with the branch ascending cervical artery labeled. Rest of branches are hidden behind other tissues.

The branches of the inferior thyroid are:

• Inferior laryngeal artery
• Esophageal branches of inferior thyroid artery
• Tracheal artery
• Ascending cervical artery
• Muscular artery

Additional images

• 

  The position and relation of the esophagus in the cervical region and in the posterior mediastinum. Seen from behind.

External links

• Inferior+thyroid+artery at eMedicine Dictionary
• Anatomy at MUN head/cbv
• lesson5 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (antthyroidgland)

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.