Cervical sinus

During human embryogenesis, the mandibular arch and hyoid arch grow more rapidly than those behind them, with the result that the latter become, to a certain extent, telescoped within the former, and a deep depression, the cervical sinus, is formed on either side of the neck.

Cervical sinus
Scheme of the pharyngeal arches I–IV: pharyngeal arches 1–4: pharyngeal pouches (inside) and/or pharyngeal grooves (outside) a: Tuberculum laterale b: Tuberculum impar c: Foramen cecum d: Ductus thyreoglossus e: Sinus cervicalis
Details
Identifiers
Latin	sinus cervicalis
Anatomical terminology

This sinus is bounded in front by the hyoid arch, and behind by the thoracic wall; it is ultimately obliterated by the fusion of its walls by the 7th week of gestation.

Sometimes, it can fail to obliterate and thus remains as a branchial cyst (which is typically found anterior to the sternocleidomastoid muscle). It can also communicate with the skin (external cervical fistula) or with the pharynx (internal cervical fistula). It is prone to infection.

Additional images

• 
  The head and neck of a human embryo 32 days old, seen from the ventral surface

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 67 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

External links

• hednk-022—Embryo Images at University of North Carolina