4. • The head & neck region has several
characteristics that make it difficult to
comprehend, and several that make it easy.
The major concept that adds difficulty is the
amount of detail that is found in the head & neck
regions. (As an example, the Dental Hygiene
Program offers a complete course in Head &
Neck Anatomy!!!!) Fortunately, for an
introductory level course such as this, we will not
be going into tremendous amounts of detail --
only basic reference structures.
5. The good news is that the head &
neck have more symmetry than any
other area of the body. This symmetry
is not only useful for study purposes,
but also for diagnostics. Generally, if
you see something on one side of the
head/neck, and you don’t see it on the
other -- something is wrong
somewhere.
6. Some of the “applied” anatomy concepts we will
be covering during the head & neck segment
will include:
• the concept of a “closed” cranial cavity
• blood supply to/from the head
• communication between intracranial and extra cranial blood
systems
• blood supply of the brain itself
• a brief overview of the regions of the brain, and associated
functions