Arteries of the thyroid gland (Latin)

Anterior view of the neck region with the glandula thyroidea and its arterial supply. The os hyoideum, membrana thyrohyoidea, larynx, and trachea are depicted. The a. thyroidea superior, a branch of the a. carotis externa, supplies the superior portion of the glandula thyroidea. The inferior portion of the glandula thyroidea is supplied by the a. thyroidea inferior, arising from the truncus thyrocervicalis, the first branch from the a. subclavia. The arterial supply of the four glandulae parathyreoideae (not depicted) occur via the a. thyroidea inferior. In some individuals, an anatomical variant, the a. thyroidea ima, may be present and contribute to the arterial supply of the glandula thyroidea and parathyreoidea.