Head and neck anatomy

Abstract

Abstract In a conceptual sense, the neck may be divided into two regions: a posterior cervical region and an anterior cervical region. The posterior cervical region includes the cervical vertebral column and the post-vertebral soft tissues. The anterior cervical region consists of the anterior and anterolateral cervical muscles, the cervical viscera, and the major blood vessels of the head and neck. For all practical purposes, the anterior region may be said to extend from the skull base above, to the root of the neck below. It is the anterior cervical region that is considered in detail in this chapter, as it is in this region that most pathological conditions of interest to the head and neck surgeon are encountered. The cranium itself is architecturally complex and houses the cranial cavity, the orbital cavities, the paranasal sinuses, the nasal cavity, and the auditory apparatus bilaterally. The cranial vault (roof of the cranial cavity) is draped by the scalp, a multilayered structure.