human anatomy Human anatomy (gr. ἀνατομία, "dissection", from ἀνά, "up", and τέμνειν, "cut") is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross ...

, the superficial temporal artery is a major

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 A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

. It arises from the external carotid artery when it splits into the superficial temporal artery and

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 ...

. Its

pulse In medicine, the pulse refers to the rhythmic pulsations (expansion and contraction) of an artery in response to the cardiac cycle (heartbeat). The pulse may be felt ( palpated) in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surfac ...

can be felt above the

zygomatic arch In anatomy, the zygomatic arch (colloquially known as the cheek bone), is a part of the skull formed by the zygomatic process of temporal bone, zygomatic process of the temporal bone (a bone extending forward from the side of the skull, over the ...

, above and in front of the tragus of the ear.

Structure

The superficial temporal artery is the smaller of two end branches that split superiorly from the external carotid. Based on its direction, the superficial temporal artery appears to be a continuation of the external carotid. It begins within the

parotid gland The parotid gland is a major salivary gland in many animals. In humans, the two parotid glands are present on either side of the mouth and in front of both ears. They are the largest of the salivary glands. Each parotid is wrapped around the m ...

, behind the neck of the

mandible In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

, and passes superficially over the posterior root of the

zygomatic process The zygomatic processes (aka. malar) are three processes (protrusions) from other bones of the skull which each articulate with the zygomatic bone. The three processes are: * Zygomatic process of frontal bone from the frontal bone * Zygomatic ...

of the

temporal bone The temporal bone is a paired bone situated at the sides and base of the skull, lateral to the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex. The temporal bones are overlaid by the sides of the head known as the temples where four of the cranial bone ...

; about 5 cm above this process it divides into two branches: ''a. frontal'', and ''a. parietal''.

Branches

The parietal branch of the superficial temporal artery (posterior temporal) is a small artery in the head. It is larger than the frontal branch and curves upward and backward on the side of the head, lying superficial to the temporal fascia; it joins with its fellow of the opposite side, and with the posterior auricular and occipital arteries. The frontal branch of the superficial temporal artery (anterior temporal) runs tortuously upward and forward to the

forehead In human anatomy, the forehead is an area of the head bounded by three features, two of the skull and one of the scalp. The top of the forehead is marked by the hairline, the edge of the area where hair on the scalp grows. The bottom of the fo ...

, supplying the muscles, skin, and pericranium in this region, and anastomosing with the supraorbital and frontal arteries. In an estimate of the path of the nerve in the soft tissue of the temporal frontal branch using landmarks by Pitanguy, he describes a line starting from a point 0.5 cm below the tragus in the direction of the eyebrow, passing 1.5 cm above the lateral extremity of the eyebrow.

Relations

As it crosses the zygomatic process, it is covered by the auricularis anterior muscle and by a dense fascia; it is crossed by the temporal and zygomatic branches of the

facial nerve The facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve, cranial nerve VII, or simply CN VII, is a cranial nerve that emerges from the pons of the brainstem, controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of ta ...

and one or two veins, and is accompanied by the auriculotemporal nerve, which lies immediately behind it. The superficial temporal artery joins () with, among others, the supraorbital artery of the

internal carotid artery The internal carotid artery is an artery in the neck which supplies the anterior cerebral artery, anterior and middle cerebral artery, middle cerebral circulation. In human anatomy, the internal and external carotid artery, external carotid ari ...

Clinical significance

The superficial temporal artery is often affected in

giant-cell arteritis Giant cell arteritis (GCA), also called temporal arteritis, is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of large blood vessels. Symptoms may include headache, pain over the temples, flu-like symptoms, double vision, and difficulty opening the mout ...

and biopsied if the diagnosis is suspected.

Additional images

Gray1200.png, Outline of side of face, showing chief surface markings. (Superficial temporal a. visible at center, to left of ear.) Gray508.png, The arteries of the face and scalp
(frontal branch labeled at upper right)

References

External links

* (, )
Angiogram of the superficial temporal artery

Diagram at stchas.edu
* http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humananatomy/figures/chapter_47/47-2.HTM {{Authority control Arteries of the head and neck