Frontal branch of superficial temporal artery
Ramus frontalis arteriae temporalis superficialis
The forward terminal branch of the superficial temporal artery, winding up across the temple to the skin and muscles of the forehead.
At a glance
- English
- Frontal branch of superficial temporal artery
- Latin (TA2)
- Ramus frontalis arteriae temporalis superficialis
- System
- Artery
- Region
- Head
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the frontal branch of superficial temporal artery
The superficial temporal artery is the smaller terminal branch of the external carotid artery. It rises in front of the ear, crosses the root of the zygomatic arch and, a few centimetres above it, divides into a frontal branch and a parietal branch. The frontal branch, sometimes called the anterior branch, is the one that turns forwards.
It runs upwards and forwards in the superficial fascia of the scalp, above the temporal fascia, in a tortuous course towards the forehead. In older people and during exertion its wavy line is often visible under the skin of the temple. It supplies the skin, the pericranium and the frontal belly of occipitofrontalis, and often the upper part of orbicularis oculi. Its branches join the supraorbital and supratrochlear arteries from the ophthalmic artery and cross the midline to meet the vessel of the other side, so the scalp has a rich network of links between the external and internal carotid systems.
The temporal branches of the facial nerve cross the temple in roughly the same plane and direction, so the vessel serves as a landmark for keeping that nerve safe in face-lift and temporal surgery. A segment of the artery is the usual biopsy site when giant cell arteritis is suspected, a condition that can make it tender, thickened and pulseless. Its rich supply is also used to carry scalp flaps, and it may serve as a donor vessel for a bypass to a branch of the middle cerebral artery.
Course and supply
- Arises from
- Superficial temporal artery, at its division above the zygomatic arch.
- Ends in
- Ends in branches over the forehead that anastomose with the supraorbital and supratrochlear arteries and with the opposite frontal branch.
- Supplies
- Supplies the skin and pericranium of the front of the scalp, the frontal belly of occipitofrontalis and, often, the upper orbicularis oculi.
Anthromica
See the frontal branch of superficial temporal artery where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
- Every layer, one body. Peel from muscle to bone, nerve, vessel and organ, and turn it any way.
- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
- Quiz until it sticks. Short drills on the structures you keep missing.
Free to start. No card.
