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. 2022 Mar;15(1):39-45.
doi: 10.1177/19433875211002058. Epub 2021 Mar 16.

The Journey of the Lingual Artery from the Neck to the Oral Cavity: A Cadaveric Study

Krishan Sarna  1 , Khushboo Jayant Sonigra  1 , Thomas Amuti  1 , Martin Kamau  1 , Wei Cheong Ngeow  2 , Pamela Mandela Idenya  1
Affiliations

The Journey of the Lingual Artery from the Neck to the Oral Cavity: A Cadaveric Study

Krishan Sarna et al. Craniomaxillofac Trauma Reconstr. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Study design: Descriptive cross-sectional.

Objective: The origin of the lingual artery (LA) has been well studied due to its implication in neck dissection, but the course thereafter to the oral cavity is less described. This cadaveric study traced the journey of the LA from the external carotid artery to its terminal branches in the tongue.

Methods: Following bilateral neck dissections in 35 black Kenyan cadavers, the incidence of Beclard's, Lesser's and Pirogoff's triangles, the types of LA origin with its length, relationship to the hyoglossus muscle and anastomosis with other vessels were documented.

Results: Beclard's triangle was found in 64 dissections (91.42%), Lesser's in 46 dissections (65.71%) and Pirogoff's in 39 dissections (55.71%). The LA presented either as a solitary branch (67.15%) or as a branch of either the linguofacial (LFT-24.29%), thyrolingual (TLT-2.72%) or thyrolinguofacial (TLFT-2.86%) trunk. The solitary LA was the longest at 6.93 mm, followed by the TLT branch (6.58 mm), LFT branch (6.12 mm) and TLFT branch (5.65 mm). The majority of solitary LA and LA branches of LFT and TLFT passed through the hyoglossus, while all LA branches of the TLT coursed medial to the muscle. All variants of LA have been found to anastomose with the submental artery (SMA) at frequencies that ranged from 11.10% to 100%.

Conclusions: The LA was found in all cadavers and all Beclards' triangles. There is a significant incidence of LFT and TLFT variants in the Kenyan population. The LA passed either through or medial to the hyoglossus with no lateral relationship being observed.

Keywords: course of lingual artery; forgotten triangles of the neck; hyoglossus muscle; hypoglossal nerve; lingual artery anastomosis; lingual artery origin.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Figure showing the borders of Beclard’s, Pirogoff’s and Lesser’s triangles.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The incidence and lengths of Solitary LA and LA branches from various trunks. There was significant difference between the 2 sides for *LFT (P = 0.013), **TLT and TLFT (P < 0.01). LA—Lingual artery, LFT—Linguofacial trunk, TLT—Thyrolingual trunk, TLFT—Thyrolinguofacial trunk, FA—Facial artery, STA—Superior thyroid artery.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
The boundaries of Beclard’s triangle with the LA coursing through. PBD—Posterior Belly of Digastric, GCHB—Greater Cornu of Hyoid Bone, PBH—Posterior Border of Hyoglossus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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