
Bassett Collection of Stereoscopic Images of Human Anatomy
Dissection of head and neck from a posterior approach
Suboccipital muscles; semispinalis cervicis muscle; nerve supply to semispinalis capitis muscle
Image #79-5
KEYWORDS: Muscles and tendons, Peripheral nervous system.
Creative Commons
Stanford holds the copyright to the David L. Bassett anatomical images and has assigned Creative Commons license Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International to all of the images.
For additional information regarding use and permissions, please contact Dr. Drew Bourn at dbourn@stanford.edu.
Dissection of head and neck from a posterior approach
Suboccipital muscles; semispinalis cervicis muscle; nerve supply to semispinalis capitis muscle
The semispinalis capitis muscle has been reflected laterally. Dense fibrous connective tissue and fat have been removed from beneath the muscle.
- Area of insertion of semispinalis capitis muscle (cut across)
- Insertion of splenius capitis muscle (cut across)
- Occipital artery
- Obliquus capitis superior muscle
- Muscular branch of occipital artery
- Semispinalis capitis muscle (reflected laterally)
- Greater occipital nerve (reflected with above muscle)
- Posterior branch cervical nerve II (note muscular branches)
- Upper pointer: Posterior branch cervical nerve III (note muscular branches) Lower pointer: Third occipital nerve (reflected with muscle)
- Posterior muscular branch of cervical nerve IV
- Posterior cutaneous branch of cervical nerve IV
- Tendon of origin of semispinalis capitis muscle (from transverse process thoracic vertebra II)
- Upper pointer: External intercostal muscle Lower pointer: Rib II
- Minor posterior rectus capitis muscle
- Posterior muscular branch of cervical nerve I
- Major posterior rectus capitis muscle
- Nuchal ligament
- Obliquus capitis inferior muscle
- Spinous process of axis
- Posterior vertebral venous plexus
- Interspinalis muscles
- Semispinalis cervicis muscle
- Spinous process cervical vertebra VI
- Trapezius muscle