THYROID, ILLUSTRATION

Thyroid gland and arterial vascularization of the neck.
The arteries of the neck are mainly composed of carotids, anteriorly, and vertebral arteries (not visible here), posteriorly. They irrigate the structures of the neck, the head and the brain.
The carotid arteries are issue from the aortic arch. The common carotid arteries, right and left, divide at thyroid-level into internal and external carotids. The external carotids give numerous collateral arteries, among which the superior thyroid arteries.
The path of the carotids is similar on the right and on the left ; The only difference resides in the fact that the right common carotid arises from the brachiocephalic arterial trunk whereas the left originates directly from the aortic arch.
The anatomical structures encadrant the thyroid gland (in purple) are, from the top to the bottom : the thyroidal cartilage (beige), the cricothyroid ligament (beige), the cricothyroid muscle (pink) and the trachea (beige).
See images 1166307 for a front view without the thyroid, 1167007 and 1167607 for a profile view.