3 - Organisation of the Neck and Posterior Triangle Flashcards
(33 cards)
What are the boundaries of the neck?
Superior - base of skull, inferior border of mandible
Inferior - top of sternum, clavicle, acromion and C7
What are the neck compartments?
- visceral compartment
- vascular compartments (2)
- vertebral compartment
What is the visceral compartment?
- in the midline
- contains parts of the respiratory system (trachea), digestive system (oesophagus) and endocrine glands
What are the vascular compartments?
- 2 laterally
- contain blood vessels and nerves (CN X)
What is the vertebral compartment?
- in the midline
- contains cervical vertebrae, spinal cord, muscles, cervical neves
What are the different types of fascia in the neck?
- superficial fascia (cervical subcutaneous tissue)
- deep fascia (investing, pretracheal, prevertebral)
Describe superficial fascia.
- cervical subcutaneous connective tissue
- continuous with superficial fascia of thorax
- connects to mandible and facial muscles
- contains cutaneous nerves, vessels, lymph nodes and fat
- contains platysma (anterolaterally)
What is investing fascia?
- surrounds all neck structures deep of the skin
- splits into superficial and deep layers to invest the SCM and trapezius
- pierced by external and anterior jugular veins and some nerves including cervical plexus
What is pretracheal fascia?
- visceral part (trachea, oesophagus and thyroid gland)
- muscular part (infra hyoid muscles)
- forms pulley for intermediate tendon of digastric (suspends hyoid)
What is the prevertebral fascia?
- surrounds vertebral column and the pre/post-vertebral muscles
- pierced by cutaneous branches of cervical plexus and cervical parts of sympathetic trunk
What is the carotid sheath?
- connects the cranial cavity with the mediastinum in the thorax
- surrounds major vasculature (CCA/ICA/IJV) and CN X
- blends with all 3 layers of deep fascia
What are the boundaries of the anterior triangle?
- inferior border of mandible
- anterior border of SCM
- midline of neck
What are the boundaries of the posterior triangle?
- posterior border of SCM
- middle third of clavicle
- anterior border of trapezius
- superior nuchal line of occipital bone
What is the platysma?
Superficial muscle found in the neck, “holds everything in”
What is found in the SCM region?
- SCM
- great auricular nerve
- transverse cervical nerve
- external jugular vein
What is found in the posterior cervical region?
- trapezius
- cutaneous branches of posterior rami of cervical spinal nerves
What are the subdivisions of the posterior triangle?
- occipital triangle
- omoclavicular triangle (subclavian)
- these are divided by the inferior belly of omohyoid
What are the roof and floor of the posterior triangle?
Roof - investing layer of deep fascia, platysma
Floor - prevertebral fascia surrounding muscles (splenius capitis, elevator scapulae and the scalenes)
What is the origin of SCM?
Sternal head (rounded) - manubrium
Clavicular head (thick/fleshy) - superior surface of medial third of clavicle
What is the insertion of SCM?
- lateral surface of mastoid process
- lateral half of superior nuchal line
What is the innervation of SCM?
Spinal accessory nerve
What are the actions of SCM?
- draws head forward (when acting bilaterally)
- tilts head towards ipsilateral shoulder (when working unilaterally)
What is the origin of trapezius?
- superior nuchal line
- external occipital protuberance
- ligamentum nuchae
- spinous processes of C7-T12
What is the insertion of trapezius?
- lateral 3rd of clavicle
- acromion
- spine of scapula
