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Transverse facial artery

The transverse facial artery is a small yet important arterial branch of the superficial temporal artery. It supplies blood to the lateral aspect of the face, particularly the parotid gland, masseter muscle, and overlying skin. Understanding its course and imaging appearance is essential for head and neck radiology and surgical planning.

Synonyms

  • Transversalis faciei artery

  • Arteria transversa faciei (Latin)

  • Lateral facial artery (less commonly)

  • Facial transverse artery

Anatomical Overview

  • Originates from the superficial temporal artery.

  • Courses horizontally, running superficial to the masseter muscle and below the zygomatic arch.

  • Supplies blood to the parotid gland, masseter muscle, and lateral facial skin.

  • Travels anteriorly, parallel to the parotid duct.

  • Accompanied by branches of the facial nerve and superficial veins.

MRI Appearance

  • Proton Density (PD) Sequence:

    • Appears as a flow void or signal-absent linear structure due to rapid arterial blood flow.

    • Surrounding tissues (fat, muscle) are better visualized, artery remains dark.

  • Short Tau Inversion Recovery (STIR):

    • The artery continues to appear as a signal void (dark linear structure).

    • STIR suppresses fat signal, so the vessel is highlighted against suppressed background fat.

    • No intrinsic hyperintensity; flow artifacts may be visible in high-flow states.

  • T1-Weighted Sequence:

    • The artery is visualized as a hypointense (dark) tubular structure.

    • Surrounded by hyperintense fat of the cheek, enhancing anatomical contrast.

    • When post-contrast (T1+C) is performed, the vessel may appear hyperintense due to gadolinium uptake.

MRI images

transverse facial artery MRI IMAGE