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Topic

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Lingual artery

The lingual artery is a key branch of the external carotid artery, primarily responsible for supplying blood to the tongue and the floor of the mouth. Originating from the anterior aspect of the external carotid, it travels deep to the hyoglossus muscle and exhibits a tortuous course to accommodate tongue movement. Due to its anatomical significance and proximity to other major vessels, accurate identification on imaging is crucial in head and neck surgery, interventional radiology, and oncology.

Synonyms

  • Arteria lingualis (Latin)

  • Tongue artery

  • Sublingual artery (refers to a terminal branch)

Function

  • Supplies arterial blood to the tongue, floor of the mouth, palatine tonsil, and adjacent muscles.

  • Provides oxygen and nutrients essential for the function and maintenance of the tongue and oral cavity.

  • Plays a role in wound healing, speech, mastication, and taste by vascularizing key structures.

MRI Appearance

  • T1-Weighted (T1):

    • Lingual artery appears as a flow void (black/dark tubular structure) due to fast-flowing blood.

    • Surrounding soft tissues of the tongue and floor of mouth have intermediate to high signal intensity.

  • T2-Weighted (T2):

    • Artery continues to appear as a flow void (dark).

    • Hyperintense signal in adjacent inflamed or edematous tissue may help delineate the vessel by contrast.

  • STIR (Short Tau Inversion Recovery):

    • Artery remains a dark flow void.

    • Adjacent fat is suppressed (dark), improving visualization of soft tissue pathology, but the vessel itself is not hyperintense.

  • TOF (Time of Flight) MR Angiography:

    • Lingual artery is visualized as a bright, well-defined vascular structure.

    • Useful for assessing vessel patency, stenosis, or anomalies.

    • Non-contrast, flow-sensitive technique ideal for small arteries like the lingual artery.

CT Appearance

  • Non-contrast CT:

    • Lingual artery is not easily visualized; may be inferred by its anatomical location as a small tubular structure with soft-tissue density.

    • Can be masked by adjacent muscles or fat planes.

  • CT Angiography (CTA):

    • Lingual artery is sharply outlined as a contrast-enhanced, high-attenuation tubular structure.

MRI images

Lingual artery axial mri image

MRI images

Lingual artery coronal t2 image