Given the great amount of muscles and a reduced space, the neck is a complex anatomical space. Regarding the visceral space, CT images provide excellent anatomic detail of viscera, muscles, glands and vessel, however, the majority of nerves involved in their function are beyond the clinical cross-sectional imaging resolution. Throughout this electronic presentation we will identify visible and anatomic references for non-visible structures, from cadaveric dissections and schematic illustrations, to CT correlation. This way, the objectives of our presentation are: 1. To remember the anatomy...

The visceral space is a neck area spanning from the hyoid bone level to the mediastinum, within the middle layer of the deep cervical fascia, and containing the thyroid and parathyroid glands, hypopharynx, larynx, trachea, oesophagus and paraesophageal lymph nodes ( Fig. 2,Fig. 3). Extrinsic larynx (strap) muscles are innervated by the ansa cervicalis of the cervical plexus, which results from the anastomosis between the ventral branches of the first three cervical nerves, gathered together after they exit through the intervertebral foramen, between the origins...

As the neural structures are not visible in CT and aiming to make and anatomical-radiological correlation, we performed a CT scan of an anatomical piece from the nasal bone to the sternal manubrium. The piece was later converted into axial sections of about 1,5 cm gross parallel to the hard palate, in which we identify the neural structures to, after that, locate them in the respective CT images (Fig. 16) . We also compare the cross-section images with the CT images (Figs. 17-27) and cervical...

Visible anatomical references in the neck are crucial for evaluating function and dysfunction of visceral space related nerves. In this electronic presentation we have made an anatomical review and an anatomical-radiological correlations to help radiologists to be more familiar to this complex anatomy and relationships.

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