Head and Neck Anatomy Quiz

Thyroid Gland Morphology

• Located in the lower front part of the neck, weighing around 30 grams, slightly heavier in females
• Consists of right and left lobes connected by the isthmus
• Isthmus is midway between the "Adams apple" and the suprasternal notch
• Has two main functions: controls the rate of metabolism and calcium metabolism
• Produces two hormones: thyroid hormone and calcitonin

Parathyroid Glands

• Four glands, normally the size of a pea
• Major disease: hyperparathyroidism, causing calcium imbalance
• Anterior relations include the infrahyoid strap muscles of the neck

Root of the Neck

• Area above the inlet of thorax, bounded laterally by the first ribs and their costal cartilages, anteriorly by the manubrium of the sternum, and posteriorly by the body of the first thoracic vertebra
• Arrangement of scalene muscles: scalenus anterior is a key muscle, with structures arranged around it
• Note: lung apices at root of neck

Organisation of the Root of the Neck

• All structures passing from the head, neck to the thorax, and from the thorax to the head, neck
• Thorax to upper limb pass through the root of the neck
• Contents: scalene muscles, internal jugular veins and subclavian veins, brachiocephalic trunk with its branches, thoracic duct, vagus and phrenic nerves, trachea, and oesophagus

Nerves Crossing the Root of Neck

• Phrenic nerve crossing scalenus anterior
• Vagus, recurrent laryngeal, and sympathetic trunk are medial to scalenus anterior

Test your knowledge of the topography and organization of structures in the root of the neck, including muscles, blood vessels, and nerves, as well as the morphology and anatomy of the thyroid gland.