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A Learning Strategy for the Muscles and Fascial Planes of the head and Neck
Author(s) -
Sanders Luke E,
Morton David A.,
Nielsen Mark T.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.960.6
Subject(s) - anatomy , trunk , head and neck , fascia , medicine , biology , surgery , ecology
Learning the relationships of the muscles and fascial planes of the head and neck is a difficult task for medical students, which is further complicated by the plethora of terminology that anatomists use to define the fascial sheets and compartments of these regions. This complexity in the musculofascial anatomy arises at the interfaced formed between pharyngeal arch anatomy and somitic body wall anatomy at the head‐trunk junction. Migrating muscles from cervical and occipital somites and from the pharyngeal arches establish a number of muscular and fascial layers in the head and neck that become a challenge to understand. However, a simple pattern of four musculofascial planes emerges during development as the muscles migrate from their sites of origin in the pharyngeal arches and cervical and occipital somites to their definitive positions in the head and neck. This pattern introduces a clear logic to the layers of muscles in the head and neck, while also clarifying the fascial layers and compartments of the region. Understanding the fascial planes and compartments is of significant clinical interest regarding the spread of inflammation and disease. Grant Funding Source : N/A