Posterior lateral nasal branches of sphenopalatine artery.
Arteriae nasales posteriores laterales
Branches of the sphenopalatine artery that spread over the conchae and meatuses on the lateral wall of the posterior nasal cavity.
At a glance
- English
- Posterior lateral nasal branches of sphenopalatine artery.
- Latin (TA2)
- Arteriae nasales posteriores laterales
- System
- Artery
- Region
- Head
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the posterior lateral nasal branches of sphenopalatine artery.
The sphenopalatine artery is the terminal part of the maxillary artery. It leaves the pterygopalatine fossa through the sphenopalatine foramen and enters the nasal cavity at the back of the superior meatus. There it divides into two groups: the posterior septal branches, which cross to the nasal septum, and the posterior lateral nasal branches, which remain on the lateral wall.
The posterior lateral nasal branches spread forwards over the conchae and meatuses. They supply the mucous membrane covering the middle and inferior conchae and the meatuses beneath them, and they send small twigs into the openings of the paranasal sinuses, contributing to the supply of the maxillary sinus and of the ethmoidal and sphenoidal sinuses. Further forward they anastomose with branches of the anterior and posterior ethmoidal arteries, from the ophthalmic artery, and with nasal branches of the facial artery.
These vessels are the main source of posterior nosebleeds, which tend to be heavier than anterior ones and are harder to control with simple pressure. When packing fails, the sphenopalatine artery can be tied or clipped endoscopically where it emerges from the sphenopalatine foramen, controlling its lateral nasal and septal branches together. The branch to the inferior concha is important in reconstructive nasal surgery, and the lateral nasal branches are encountered in operations on the conchae and the middle meatus.
Course and supply
- Arises from
- The sphenopalatine artery, after it enters the nasal cavity through the sphenopalatine foramen.
- Ends in
- End in the mucosa of the lateral nasal wall, anastomosing with ethmoidal and facial branches.
- Supplies
- Supply the conchae, the meatuses and the lateral nasal wall, and contribute to the paranasal sinuses.
Anthromica
See the posterior lateral nasal branches of sphenopalatine 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.
