The tonsillar artery (or tonsillar branch of the facial artery) is (usually) a branch of the

facial artery The facial artery, formerly called the external maxillary artery, is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies blood to superficial structures of the medial regions of the face. Structure The facial artery arises in the carotid t ...

(though it sometimes arises from the

ascending palatine artery The ascending palatine artery is an artery is a branch of the facial artery which ascends along the neck before splitting into two terminal branches; one branch supplies the soft palate, and the other supplies the palatine tonsil and pharyngotympa ...

instead) that represents the main source of arterial blood supply for the

palatine tonsil Palatine tonsils, commonly called the tonsils and occasionally called the faucial tonsils, are tonsils located on the left and right sides at the back of the throat in humans and other mammals, which can often be seen as flesh-colored, pinkish ...

. The artery passes superior-ward between the

medial pterygoid muscle The medial pterygoid muscle (or internal pterygoid muscle) is a thick, quadrilateral muscle of the face. It is supplied by the mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve (V). It is important in mastication (chewing). Structure The medial pter ...

and styloglossus muscle. Upon reaching the superior border of the styloglossus muscle, the tonsillar artery penetrates the

superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle The superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle is a quadrilateral muscle of the pharynx. It is the uppermost and thinnest of the three pharyngeal constrictors. The muscle is divided into four parts according to its four distincts origins: a pterygop ...

to enter the pharynx and reach the palatine tonsil. The artery then ramifies within the substance of the tonsil and musculature of the root of the tongue.

References

{{circulatory-stub Arteries of the head and neck