Ascending cervical artery

The ascending cervical artery (Latin: arteria cervicalis ascendens) is a small branch of the thyrocervical trunk that supplies structures in the neck, including neck muscles and the upper part of the spinal cord. The ascending cervical artery ascends along the anterior scalene muscle and divides into two branches:

• Spinal branches - pass to the vertebral canal through the intervertebral foramina to supply the spinal cord and the spinal meninges;
• Muscular branches - supply deep and lateral muscles of the neck.