This document summarizes the arterial supply, venous drainage, lymphatic drainage, and nerve supply of several head and neck structures including the soft palate, hard palate, tongue, pharynx, parotid gland, palatine tonsil, thyroid gland, and parathyroid gland. For each structure, it lists the main artery providing blood supply, vein(s) responsible for venous drainage, lymph nodes involved in lymphatic drainage, and nerves involved in motor and sensory innervation. References cited include Last's Anatomy.

1. STRUCTURE ARTERIAL SUPPLY VENOUS
DRAINAGE
LYMPHATIC
DRAINAGE
NERVE SUPPLY
Soft palate Lesser palatine branch of
maxillary artery
Pharyngeal venous
plexus
Pterygoid plexus
Retroph lymph
node
Deep cervical
lymph nodes
All muscles except
tensor palati by
pharyngeal
plexus(vagoaccesso
ry complex)
Hard palate Greater palatine artery Pterygoid plexus Retropharyngeal
lymph nodes
Deep cervical
lymph nodes
BEHIND THE
INCISSIVE FOSSA:
Greater palatine
nerve of maxillary
INFRONT THE
INCISSIVE FOSSA:
Nasopalatine br.of
maxillary
Tongue Lingual artery Lingual vein TIP: submental
LATERAL:
submand nodes
POST.PART: Deep
cervical(jugulodig
astric
&
jugulomohyoid)
MOTOR: All
muscles except
palatoglossus(phar
yngeal plexus)by
hypoglossal nerve
SENSORY:
Ant 2/3:Taste-
Chorda tympani
General-Lingual
Post1/3:Both
types-
Glossopharyngeal
PoSTmOST:
Int.laryngeal nerve
Pharynx FM
F;facial-
Asc,phary+Asc.palatine+
Tonsillar
M:Maxillary
Great.palatine+Pharynge
al
Pharyngeal venous
plexus
Retrophary
lymph nodes
Deep cervical
lymph nodes
Pharyngeal plexus
except
stylopharyngeus
supplied by
glossopharyngeal
nerve
Nasopharyn
x
Pharyngeal br.of
maxillary
Oropharynx Glossoph nerve
Vallecule: Int.laryn
Tonsilar mucosa:
Lesser palatine
Laryngopha
rynx
Internal laryngeal
nerve
Parotid
Gland
External carotid artery Retromandibular
vein
Parotid/Preauric
ular lymph nodes
Auriculotemporal
nerve
Secretomotor

2. parasympathetic:
inf.saliv nucleus in
medulla-tymp.br of
CNIX-tympanic
plexus-lesser
petrosal-otic
ganglion-parotid
gland
Sympathetic:
Sup.cervical
ganglion-pexus
around ext.carotid
artery
Palatine
T
o
n
s
i
l
Facial artery branches
-Tonsillar
-Ascend phrangeal
-Ascend.palatine
-Greater
palatine(maxillary artery)
-Lingual
Veins draining in
pharyng.venous
plexus
Ext.palatine/Parato
nsillar vein
Deep cervical esp
Jugulodigastric
lymph nodes
Tonsillar branch of
glossopharyngeal
nerve
Thyroid
g
l
a
n
d
Sup.thyroid (Ext.carotid)
Inf.thyroid(Thyrocervical)
Sup.thy-IJV
Mid.thy-IJV
Inf.thy-Left
brachiocephalic
vein
Deep cervical
nodes
Sympathetic(vasoc
onst.) from
sup,middle & inf
cervical ganglion
Parathyroid
g
l
a
n
d
Inf.thyroid artery Thyroid veins Deep cerv. Nodes Symp. Vasoconstr.
Fibres enter with
arteries
REFRENCES: Last’s Anatomy