Carotid triangle
The carotid triangle is a portion of the anterior triangle of the neck.
Anatomy
Boundaries
It is bounded:- Posteriorly by the sternocleidomastoid muscle,
- Anteroinferiorly by the omohyoid muscle.
- Superiorly by the digastric muscle.
Roof
The roof is formed by:Floor
The floor is formed by the:- Thyrohyoid membrane,
- Hyoglossus,
- Constrictor pharyngis medius and constrictor pharyngis inferior muscles.
Contents
Arteries
- Internal carotid artery
- External carotid artery and some of its branches:
- * Superior thyroid artery,
- * Ascending pharyngeal artery,
- * Lingual artery,
- * Facial artery,
- * Occipital artery.
Veins
- internal jugular vein and its tributaries :
- * Superior thyroid vein,
- * Lingual veins,
- * Common facial vein
- * Ascending pharyngeal vein,
- * Occipital vein.
Nerves
Superficial to the carotid sheath lies the hypoglossal nerve, and ansa cervicalis of the cervical plexus.The hypoglossal nerve crosses both the internal and external carotids, curving around the origin of the occipital artery.
Within the sheath, between the artery and vein, and behind both, is the vagus nerve; behind the sheath, the sympathetic trunk.
On the lateral side of the vessels, the accessory nerve runs for a short distance before it pierces the Sternocleidomastoideus; and on the medial side of the external carotid, just below the hyoid bone, the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve may be seen; and, still more inferiorly, the external branch of the same nerve.