Bassett Collection of Stereoscopic Images of Human Anatomy

Collection Home

Dissection of head and neck from a posterior approach

Hypoglossal, accessory and vagus nerves; anterior rami of cervical nerves; internal carotid artery; internal jugular vein

Image #81-1

KEYWORDS: Bones cartilage joints, Cervical vertebrae, Muscles and tendons, Peripheral nervous system, Vasculature.

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

Hypoglossal, accessory and vagus nerves; anterior rami of cervical nerves; internal carotid artery; internal jugular vein

The bodies of the first five cervical vertebrae have been sectioned in the midsagittal plane and the left halves removed. The cervical nerves have been retained approximately in their normal positions with the exception of the first nerve (16), which has been displaced superiorly. The anterior vertebral venous plexus (18) and longus colli and capitis muscles have been preserved.

1 .	Jugular ganglion of vagus nerve (X)
2 .	Accessory nerve (XI)
3 .	Branches of cervical nerve I-Il to longus capitis muscle and anterior rectus capitis muscle
4 .	Occipital artery
5 .	Hypoglossal nerve (XII)
6 .	Posterior belly of digastric muscle
7 .	Nodose ganglion vagus nerve (X)
8 .	Internal jugular vein
9 .	Internal carotid artery
10 .	Descending branch hypoglossal nerve
11 .	Upper pointer: Lesser occipital nerve Lower pointer: Unnamed cutaneous nerve
12 .	Superficial fascia (deep lamina of external layer)
13 .	Accessory nerve (XI) (note communicating branches from second and third cervical nerves)
14 .	Supraclavicular nerves
15 .	Levator scapulae muscle (cut across)
16 .	Anterior branch of cervical nerve I
17 .	Ganglion cervical nerve II (cut across)
18 .	Upper pointer: Anterior rectus capitis muscle Lower pointer: Anterior vertebral venous plexus
19 .	Ganglion cervical nerve III
20 .	Upper pointer: Intervertebral disc Lower pointer: Body cervical vertebra III
21 .	Ganglion cervical nerve IV
22 .	Ganglion cervical nerve V (displaced slightly inferiorly)
23 .	Articular surface superior cervical vertebra VI
24 .	Spinal cord