The sphenopalatine artery (nasopalatine artery) is an
artery
An artery () is a blood vessel in humans and most other animals that takes oxygenated blood away from the heart in the systemic circulation to one or more parts of the body. Exceptions that carry deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary arteries in ...
of the head, commonly known as the artery of
epistaxis.
Dr.Padampreet Singh Batra’s ENT, Head and Neck » Blog Archive » Epistaxis (NASAL BLEEDING)
/ref> It passes through the sphenopalatine foramen to reach the nasal cavity
The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face. The nasal septum divides the cavity into two cavities, also known as fossae. Each cavity is the continuation of one of the two nostrils. The nas ...
. It is the main artery of the nasal cavity.
Course
The sphenopalatine artery is a branch of the maxillary artery
The maxillary artery (eg, internal maxillary artery) supplies deep structures of the face. It branches from the external carotid artery just deep to the neck of the mandible.
Structure
The maxillary artery, the larger of the two terminal branches ...
which passes through the sphenopalatine foramen into the cavity of the nose
A nose is a sensory organ and respiratory structure in vertebrates. It consists of a nasal cavity inside the head, and an external nose on the face. The external nose houses the nostrils, or nares, a pair of tubes providing airflow through the ...
, at the back part of the superior meatus. Here it gives off its posterior lateral nasal branches.
Crossing the under surface of the sphenoid, the sphenopalatine artery ends on the nasal septum
The nasal septum () separates the left and right airways of the Human nose, nasal cavity, dividing the two nostrils.
It is Depression (kinesiology), depressed by the depressor septi nasi muscle.
Structure
The fleshy external end of the nasal s ...
as the posterior septal branches. Here it will anastomose with the branches of the greater palatine artery
The greater palatine artery is a branch of the descending palatine artery (a terminal branch of the maxillary artery) and contributes to the blood supply of the hard palate and nasal septum.
Course
The descending palatine artery branches off of ...
.
Clinical significance
The sphenopalatine artery is the artery commonly responsible for epistaxis (difficult to control bleeding of the nasal cavity, especially the posterior nasal cavity).
See also
* Kiesselbach's plexus
References
External links
* ()
* ()
Notes
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Arteries of the head and neck
Otorhinolaryngology