Neurovasculature of the dorsal neck (Latin)

The main arterial structures of the neck (collum) are the aa. carotides, vertebrales et occipitales. The a. carotis communis ascends through the neck bifurcating into the a. carotis externa et interna. The carotis interna ascends to provide anterior supply to structures of the cavitas cranii while the carotis externa branches to supply structures of the neck and face. Arising from the aa. subclaviae at the radix colli are the paired aa. vertebrales which ascend through the foramina transversaria of the upper six vertebrae cervicales, to provide posterior supply to the cavitas cranii.The primary venous channels of the neck are vv. jugulares interna, externa et anterior (not shown here). Tributaries of these collecting veins largely follow a similar pattern to their fellow arteries, e.g. vv. cervicales profunda et vertebrales.Numerous cranial and peripheral nerves pass through and supply structures of the neck. The plexus cervicalis, located at the superior portion of the neck, gives off several branches, such as the n. occipitalis minor and n. auricularis magnus to supply cutaneous and muscular innervation to many structures of the neck as well as parts of the face, regiones axillaris et deltoidea and thorax. The nn. cervicales (i.e nn. spinales C1-C3) like the nn. suboccipitalis et occipitalis major equally provide innervation to structures of the head and dorsal neck.