Lesser palatine arteries

Artery of the head

Lesser palatine arteries
Details
Source	Descending palatine artery
Branches	Tonsillary
Supplies	Palatine tonsils, soft palate
Identifiers
Latin	arteriae palatinae minores
TA98	A12.2.05.086
TA2	4458
FMA	71688
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

The lesser palatine arteries are arteries of the head. It is a branch of the descending palatine artery. They supply the palatine tonsils and the soft palate.

Structure

The lesser palatine arteries are branches of the descending palatine artery.^[1] They go through the lesser palatine foramina.^[2] They anastomose with the ascending pharyngeal artery.^[2]

Function

The lesser palatine arteries give off tonsillary branches to supply the palatine tonsils.^[3] They also gives off mucosal branches that usually supply the soft palate,^[2]^[4] and potentially the hard palate.^[5]

References

^ Choi, Jinho; Park, Hyung-Sik (1 January 2003). "The clinical anatomy of the maxillary artery in the pterygopalatine fossa". Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 61 (1): 72–78. doi:10.1053/joms.2003.50012. ISSN 0278-2391.
^ ^a ^b ^c Miwa, Yoko; Asaumi, Rieko; Kawai, Taisuke; Maeda, Yuuki; Sato, Iwao (1 February 2018). "Morphological observation and CBCT of the bony canal structure of the groove and the location of blood vessels and nerves in the palatine of elderly human cadavers". Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy. 40 (2): 199–206. doi:10.1007/s00276-017-1952-6. ISSN 1279-8517.
^ "Lesser palatine arteries" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
^ Maistry, T.; Lazarus, L.; Partab, P.; Satyapal, K. S. (2012). "An Anatomical Study of the Arterial Supply to the Soft Palate". International Journal of Morphology. 30 (3): 847–857. doi:10.4067/S0717-95022012000300014. S2CID 39720355.
^ Zhang, K. Q. (1 January 1994). "Artery supply of the lip and palate in normal and cleft patients". Chinese Journal of Stomatology. 29 (1): 30–3, 63. ISSN 1002-0098. PMID 7995132.

Arteries of the head and neck

cervical branches (ascending palatine, tonsillar, submental, glandular)
facial branches (inferior labial
superior labial / nasal septum
lateral nasal
angular)

1st part / mandibular	anterior tympanic deep auricular middle meningeal (superior tympanic, petrosal) accessory meningeal inferior alveolar
2nd part / pterygoid	to muscles of mastication (deep temporal, pterygoid, masseteric) buccal
3rd part / pterygopalatine	posterior superior alveolar infraorbital (anterior superior alveolar) descending palatine (greater palatine, lesser palatine) artery of the pterygoid canal sphenopalatine (posterior septal branches, posterior lateral nasal) pharyngeal

ICA

cervical	carotid sinus
petrous	Vidian caroticotympanic
cavernous/ ophthalmic	orbital group:anterior ethmoidal posterior ethmoidal lacrimal (lateral palpebral) medial palpebral terminal (supraorbital, supratrochlear, dorsal nasal) ocular group: central retinal ciliary (short posterior, long posterior, anterior) Circulus arteriosus major hypophysial (superior, inferior)
brain	Circle of Willis ACA (anterior communicating, Recurrent artery of Heubner, Orbitofrontal artery) MCA (anterolateral central, Prefrontal artery, Superior terminal branch, Inferior terminal branch, Anterior temporal branch) posterior communicating anterior choroidal

ScA

vertebral artery

meningeal
spinal (posterior, anterior)
basilar: pontine
labyrinthine
cerebellar (AICA, SCA, PICA)
cerebral (PCA)

thyrocervical trunk

inferior thyroid	inferior laryngeal tracheal esophageal ascending cervical pharyngeal glandular branches
transverse cervical	superficial branch deep branch / dorsal scapular scapular anastomosis
suprascapular	acromial branch scapular anastomosis