The prevertebral fascia (or prevertebral layer of cervical fascia) is a fascia in the neck.

Variations

In some literature, the prevertebral fascia also includes the other fascial layers extending around the

vertebral column The vertebral column, also known as the backbone or spine, is part of the axial skeleton. The vertebral column is the defining characteristic of a vertebrate in which the notochord (a flexible rod of uniform composition) found in all chordate ...

and enclosing all muscles laterally and posteriorly to it. However, in this article, it is assumed to be as marked in the corresponding picture.

Location

The prevertebral fascia extends medially behind the carotid vessels, where it assists in forming their sheath, and passes in front of the prevertebral muscles. The prevertebral fascia is fixed above to the

base of the skull The base of skull, also known as the cranial base or the cranial floor, is the most inferior area of the skull. It is composed of the endocranium and the lower parts of the calvaria. Structure Structures found at the base of the skull are for ...

, and below it extends behind the esophagus into the posterior mediastinal cavity of the

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

. It descends in front of the longus colli muscles. The prevertebral fascia is prolonged downward and laterally behind the carotid vessels and in front of the scalene muscles. It forms a sheath for the brachial nerves, subclavian artery, and subclavian vein in the posterior triangle of the neck; it is continued under the clavicle as the axillary sheath and is attached to the deep surface of the

coracoclavicular fascia The clavipectoral fascia (costocoracoid membrane; coracoclavicular fascia) is a strong fascia situated under cover of the clavicular portion of the pectoralis major. It occupies the interval between the pectoralis minor and subclavius, and pro ...

Surrounding structures

It forms the posterior limit of a fibrous compartment, which contains the larynx and

trachea The trachea, also known as the windpipe, is a cartilaginous tube that connects the larynx to the bronchi of the lungs, allowing the passage of air, and so is present in almost all air- breathing animals with lungs. The trachea extends from the ...

, the thyroid gland, and the

pharynx The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its st ...

and

esophagus The esophagus ( American English) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to ...

. Parallel to the carotid sheath and along its medial aspect the prevertebral fascia gives off a thin lamina, the

buccopharyngeal fascia The buccopharyngeal fascia is a fascia in the head and neck. Structure The buccopharyngeal runs parallel to the medial aspect of the carotid sheath. It is a thin lamina given off from the pretracheal fascia. It is attached to the prevertebral f ...

, which closely invests the constrictor muscles of the pharynx, and is continued forward from the

constrictor pharyngis superior The superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle is a muscle in the pharynx. It is the highest located muscle of the three pharyngeal constrictors. The muscle is a quadrilateral muscle, thinner and paler than the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle ...

on to the

buccinator The buccinator () is a thin quadrilateral muscle occupying the interval between the maxilla and the mandible at the side of the face. It forms the anterior part of the cheek or the lateral wall of the oral cavity.Illustrated Anatomy of the Head ...

. Anterior to it, the alar (retrovisceral) fascia is attached to it by loose connective tissue only, and thus an easily distended space, the

retropharyngeal space The retropharyngeal space (abbreviated as "RPS") is a potential space and deep compartment of the head and neck situated posterior to the pharynx. The RPS is bounded anteriorly by the buccopharyngeal fascia, posteriorly by the alar fascia, and la ...

, is found between them. Immediately above and behind the clavicle an areolar space exists between the investing layer and the sheath of the subclavian vessels, and in this space are found the lower part of the external jugular vein, the descending clavicular nerves, the transverse scapular and transverse cervical vessels, and the inferior belly of the omohyoid muscle. This space is limited below by the fusion of the

with the anterior wall of the axillary sheath. Inferiorly, the prevertebral layer blends with the

endothoracic fascia The endothoracic fascia is the layer of loose connective tissue deep to the intercostal spaces and ribs, separating these structures from the underlying pleura. This fascial layer is the outermost membrane of the thoracic cavity. The endothor ...

peripherally and fuses with the anterior longitudinal ligament centrally at approximately the level of the T3

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates, Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristi ...

. Due to this, the superior extent of the retropharyngeal space is essentially continuous with the root of the neck, and is termed the danger space. It extends laterally as the axillary sheath.Clinically Oriented Anatomy. K.L. Moore, A.F. Dalley, & A.M. Agur. Lippincott, 6 ed. 2010.

References

External links

{{Authority control Fascial spaces of the head and neck