Transverse facial artery

Transverse facial artery
Bloodvessels of the eyelids, front view. 1, supraorbital artery and supraorbital vein; 2, nasal artery; 3, angular artery, the terminal branch of 4, the facial artery; 5, suborbital artery; 6, anterior branch of the superficial temporal artery; 6’, malar branch of the transverse artery of the face; 7, lacrimal artery; 8, superior palpebral artery with 8’, its external arch; 9, anastomoses of the superior palpebral with the superficial temporal and lacrimal; 10, inferior palpebral artery; 11, facial vein; 12, angular vein; 13, branch of the superficial temporal vein.
The arteries of the face and scalp. (Transv. facial labeled at center, to right of ear.)
Details
Source	Superficial temporal
Supplies	Parotid gland parotid duct masseter muscle
Identifiers
Latin	arteria transversa faciei
TA98	A12.2.05.047
TA2	4416
FMA	49657
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

The transverse facial artery is an artery that branches from the superficial temporal artery and runs across the face.

Course

The transverse facial artery is given off from the superficial temporal artery before that vessel leaves the parotid gland; running forward through the substance of the gland, it passes transversely across the side of the face, between the parotid duct and the lower border of the zygomatic arch, and divides into numerous branches, which supply the parotid gland and parotid duct, the masseter muscle, and the integument, and anastomose with the facial artery, the masseteric artery, the buccinator artery, and the infraorbital artery.

This vessel rests on the masseter, and is accompanied by one or two branches of the facial nerve.

Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck, showing the carotid and subclavian arteries

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 558 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

Anatomy photo:23:05-0101 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "The Transverse Facial Artery and Vein"
lesson4 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (parotid4, infratempfossaart)

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

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

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