Lingual artery

Lingual artery
Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck, showing the carotid and subclavian arteries. The branch of the lingual artery is labeled
Veins of the tongue. The hypoglossal nerve has been displaced downward in this preparation (lingual artery labeled at center left).
Details
Source	External carotid artery
Branches	Sublingual artery Deep lingual artery
Vein	Lingual vein
Supplies	Genioglossus
Identifiers
Latin	arteria lingualis
TA	A12.2.05.015
FMA	49526
Anatomical terminology []

The lingual artery arises from the external carotid between the superior thyroid artery and facial artery. It can be located easily in the tongue.

It first runs obliquely upward and medialward to the greater cornu of the hyoid bone.

It then curves downward and forward, forming a loop which is crossed by the hypoglossal nerve, and passing beneath the Digastricus and Stylohyoideus it runs horizontally forward, beneath the Hyoglossus, and finally, ascending almost perpendicularly to the tongue, turns forward on its lower surface as far as the tip, under the name of the deep lingual artery (profunda linguae ).

It also supplies palatine tonsil.

It lies on the lateral side of the Genioglossus, the main large extrinsic tongue muscle, accompanied by the lingual nerve. However, as seen in the picture, the deep lingual artery passes inferior to the hyoglossus (the cut muscle on the bottom) while the lingual nerve (not pictured) passes superior to it (for a comparison, the hypoglossal nerve, pictured, passes superior to the hyoglossus). At the tip of the tongue, it is said to anastomose with the artery of the opposite side, but this is denied by Hyrtl. In the mouth, these vessels are placed one on either side of the frenulum linguæ.

The Sublingual Artery arises at the anterior margin of the Hyoglossus, and runs forward between the Genioglossus and Mylohyoideus to the sublingual gland.