Okajimas Folia Anat. Jpn., 55(5) : 255-264, Dec. 1978 On the Posterior Deep Temporal Artery of the Dog By FUMIHIKO SUWA, SAISUKE TOMINAGA and HIDEO KUMAGAI Department of Anatomy, Osaka Dental University, Kyobashi, Higashi-ku, Osaka 540, Japan (Director: Prof. Y. Ohta) Received for Publication, April 13, 1978— Key Words: Temporal artery, Comparative anatomy. Summary. The origin and ramification of the posterior deep temporal artery of the dog have been studied by means of the acryl plastic injection method. The artery arose distal to the origin of the inferior alveolar in more than half of all the examples observed, but in common or in contact with the inferior alveolar in others. All the branches of the artery were mentioned; the lingual, the temporomandi- bular joint, the anterior, the lateral pterygoid muscular branches and the masseteric artery. Then the artery terminated into the superior, the superoposterior and the posterior branches. Branches of the posterior deep temporal Material and Methods artery of the dog have been briefly reported in works, such as the arterial Acryl plastic injection was performed distribution of the temporal muscle on 32 adult dogs, by means of the method (Fujimoto 1959), the temporomandibular of Taniguchi, Ohta and Tajiri (1952 and joint (Wakimaru 1959), the medial 1955), through the common carotid pterygoid muscle (Tsuji 1969), the mas- arteries. Thirty of the injected heads ster muscle (Fujiwara 1970) and the were treated with sodium hydroxide mandibular nutrient vessels (Yamamoto solution to make corrosion specimens of et al. 1974). These exclusive works, the carotid system. The other injected however, could not include all the rami- heads were preserved in 10% formalin fication and distribution of the artery. solution for dissection. yet. Thereupon the present authors have attempted adding a supplement to Observations the previous works by making a further observation about these items and ac- The maxillary artery, as a terminus complishing the angiology of the artery. of the external carotid, separating from the superficial temporal artery in the 255 256 F. Suwa, S. Tominaga and H. Kumagai mandibular portion, comes right medioin- posterior and the posterior branches ferior to the temporomandibular joint (Fujimoto 1959) (Fig. 1). The descrip- and makes a medial curvature in com- tion of the termini and the masseteric pany with the articulotemporal nerve is not made in the present paper as they beneath the postglenoid process. Then already did. the artery runs medially between the 1. Lingual branch posterior margin of the medial pterygoid The branch, 0.3-1.0, M. 0.9 mm in dia- muscle and the inferior margin of the meter, diverges from the anterior wall insertion of the lateral pterygoid toward of the parent artery, 1-3 mm distal to the alar canal. the origin of it in all the examples From the anterior wall of the curva- observed. Giving off the pterygoid ture, the inferior alveolar artery first branches and a branch running along the is given off anteroinferiorly and the inferior alveolar nerve (Fig. 1), the posterior deep temporal artery, 1.2-2.5, main stream passes anteroinferiorly along M. 1.8 mm in diameter, superiorly (Fig. the superior margin of the lingual nerve 1). between the medial surface of the man- The posterior deep temporal in 30 dibular ramus and the medial pterygoid cases of all 60 examples observed arises muscle on the middle of the venter of it, at 1-4 mm distal to the origin of the in- supplying small twigs to the nerve, and ferior alveolar (Fig. 1) which arises gives off two branches (Fig. 4) ; one from the anterior wall of the maxillary bends medially on the anterior margin in all these cases, but the posterior deep of the muscle, then runs posteriorly temporal arises from the anterior (in between the medial surface of it and the 16 cases) or the superior (in 14 cases) mucous membrane and communicates wall of the maxillary. In 26 cases of with branches of the facial artery (Fig. all the examples observed, both arteries 5) , and the other is close to the anterior arise through a short common stem, 1-2 margin of the muscle and gives off two mm in diameter, about 2.6 mm in length, or three forward for supplying a mucous from the anterior wall (Fig. 2). In four plica stringing between the mucous cases, both origins of the arteries are membrane posterior to the upper and located very closely each other (Fig. 3) . lower last molar teeth, also the lingual Any case in which both origins of the gingivae of the lower molars and the arteries are reversed distoproximally, is posterior part of the origin of the not observed. mylohyoid muscle. The stream still ex- The posterior deep temporal artery tends anteroinferiorly along the lingual which arises in relations with the inferior nerve to supply the submandibular duct alveolar artery as mentioned above, and the monostomatic sublingual gland immediately hooks upward and enters (Miller 1964) (Fig. 4) . the insertion of the deep layer of the (1) R. pterygoideus (Fujimoto 1959, temporal muscle in the height of the Tsuji 1969) basis of zygomatic process of the tem- The ramus, 0.3-0.5, M. 0.36 mm in dia- poral bone, after giving off the lingual, meter, arises from the superomedial wall the temporomandibular joint, the ante- of the lingual branch, about 1 mm distal rior branches, the lateral pterygoid to its origin, and runs superomedially to muscular branch and the masseteric supply the insertion of the lateral artery (Fujiwara 1970) . The artery pterygoid muscle and the posterior terminates into the superior, the supero- margin of the medial pterygoid and the On the Posterior Deep Temporal Artery of the Dog 257 medial part of the insertion of the The rami, 0.3-0.5, M. 0.42 mm in dia- temporal muscle (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) . meter, presenting two in 57 cases and (2) Branch running along the inferior one in three cases of all the examples alveolar nerve. observed, arise from the anterior wall The branch is 0.2-0.5, M. 0.32 mm in of the posterior deep temporal artery diameter. In 45 cases of all 60 examples anterosuperiorly when the artery hooks observed, it arises from the inferior wall upward medioanterior to the capsule. of the lingual branch 1-3 mm distal to Usually the arisings of them are located its origin in 27 cases (Figs. 1, 4 and 5) , between the origins of the lingual branch from the inferior wall of the inferior and the masseteric artery (Figs. 2 and alveolar artery right proximal to its 5). The proximal vessel of them arises origin in 9 cases, from the anterior wall very close to the origin of the lingual of the posterior deep temporal 1-5 mm branch or in common with it (Figs. 1 distal to its origin in 8 cases (Fig. 6) and 3). and from the anterior wall of the ma- The rami pass anterosuperiorly far to xillary 1.5 mm distal to the origin of the the inferior end of the insertion of the inferior alveolar in one case (Fig. 7). temporal and supply twigs spreading on Two branches are seen in 15 cases. the medial surface of the coronoid pro- Each of them arises from the posterior cess. deep temporal and the inferior alveolar, 4. Lateral pterygoid muscular branch respectively (Fig. 6). The branch, 0.3-0.6, M. 0.38 mm in The branch supplies twigs to the infe- diameter, arises from the medial wall rior alveolar nerve before it enters the of the posterior deep temporal between mandibular foramen, also the coronoid the origin of the anterior branch and and the angular branch (Yamamoto et the fork of three termini, but in 31 cases al. 1974) to the contents of the canal of all the examples observed arises from including its surrounding bone tissue. one of them. The branch, after sup- It sometimes communicates with the plying twigs to the joint and the zygo- dental branch of M„ but does not pass maticomandibular muscle, runs medially forward beyond the level of the tooth. between the insertion of the lateral In 15 cases in which the branch is not pterygoid muscle and the basis of the seen, a branch arising from the inferior zygomatic process, then anteromedially alveolar in the same named canal sup- on the superior margin of the muscle to plies the nerve as well. supply it, anastomosing with the anterior 2. Temporomandibular joint branch deep temporal. The branches, 0.3-0.5, M. 0.34 mm in diameter, presenting two in 55 cases Discussion and one in 5 cases of all the examples observed, arise posteromedially from the The posterior deep temporal artery of posterior wall of the posterior deep the dog arose generally from the ma- temporal in the height of or distal to the xillary just distal to or in common with arising of the lingual branch. They the inferior alveolar. supply small twigs to the anterior and Fujimoto (1959), Wakimaru (1959) medial surfaces of the joint capsule and and the present authors made an attempt the insertion of the lateral pterygoid to classify relations between the origins (Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 8). of the inferior alveolar and the posterior 3. R. anterior (Fujimoto, 1959) deep temporal arteries as follows : 1) The 258 F. Suwa, S. Tominaga and H. Kumagai posterior deep temporal arises distal to basis of the same distributing area. the inferior alveolar, 2) through a com- Yamamoto et al. first made a detailed mon trunk, 3) in contact with each report on a branch of the posterior deep other, and 4) the posterior deep temporal temporal which was distributed to the arises medial to the inferior alveolar, mandibular ramus after bifurcating into with excepting that included 3) in 1) by the angular and coronoid branches.