Stylomastoid artery
Appearance
Stylomastoid artery | |
---|---|
Details | |
Source | posterior auricular artery |
Supplies | tympanic cavity, tympanic antrum, mastoid cells, semicircular canals |
Identifiers | |
Latin | arteria stylomastoidea |
TA98 | A12.2.05.038 |
TA2 | 4406 |
FMA | 49628 |
Anatomical terminology |
The stylomastoid artery enters the stylomastoid foramen and supplies the tympanic cavity, the tympanic antrum and mastoid cells, and the semicircular canals. It is a branch of the posterior auricular artery, and thus part of the external carotid arterial system.
In the young subject a branch from this vessel forms, with the anterior tympanic artery from the internal maxillary, a vascular circle, which surrounds the tympanic membrane, and from which delicate vessels ramify on that membrane.
It anastomoses with the superficial petrosal branch of the middle meningeal artery by a twig which enters the hiatus canalis facialis.
References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 557 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)