Dorsal scapular artery

Transverse cervical artery
Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck, showing the carotid and subclavian arteries (transverse cervical artery is labeled, branching from the thyrocervical trunk)
Superficial and deep branches from the transverse cervical artery
Details
Source	Thyrocervical trunk
Branches	Superficial branch Dorsal scapular artery (Deep Branch)
Vein	Transverse cervical veins
Supplies	The trapezius and Sternocleidomastoid muscles
Identifiers
Latin	Arteria transversa cervicis, arteria transversa colli
TA	A12.2.08.053
FMA	10664
Anatomical terminology []

The transverse cervical artery (transverse artery of neck or transversa colli artery) is an artery in the neck and a branch of the thyrocervical trunk, running at a higher level than the suprascapular artery.

It passes transversely above the inferior belly of the omohyoid muscle to the anterior margin of the trapezius, beneath which it divides into a superficial and a deep branch.

It crosses in front of the phrenic nerve and the scalene muscles, and in front of or between the divisions of the brachial plexus, and is covered by the platysma and sternocleidomastoid muscles, and crossed by the omohyoid and trapezius.

The transverse cervical artery splits into two branches, a superficial one and a deep one:

It ascends beneath the anterior margin of the trapezius, distributing branches to it, and to the neighboring muscles and lymph glands in the neck, and anastomosing with the superficial branch of the descending branch of the occipital artery.

It has an ascending branch and a descending branch. The descending branch of the transverse cervical artery anastomoses with the deep and dorsal scapular artery which in turn links to the subscapular. This anastomosis is a ring circulation around the scapula where it continues to the suprascapular artery via the circumflex scapular artery.

The dorsal scapular artery (or descending scapular artery) is a blood vessel which supplies the levator scapulae, rhomboids, and trapezius.