head and neck

 

Superficial head and neck

• nasal cavity
• oral cavity
• pharynx
  • oropharynx
  • nasopharynx
  • hypopharynx
• larynx

Deep head and neck

The deep anatomy is separated by fascial planes into seven deep compartments of the head and neck:

• pharyngeal (superficial) mucosal space
• parapharyngeal space
• parotid space
• carotid space
• masticator space
• retropharyngeal space
• perivertebral space

Many of the disease states that affect the deep structures of the head and neck are confined to one compartment. However, some diseases are considered trans-spatial diseases.

Surgical triangles of the neck

There are several triangles of the neck that are more surgically focussed, first described from early dissection-based anatomical studies which predated cross-sectional anatomical description based on imaging:

• anterior triangle
  • digastric triangle
  • carotid triangle
  • muscular triangle
  • submental triangle