Anatomy
Origin:
Digastric fossa on inside of mandible.
Insertion:
Intermediate tendon between the two bellies which itself attaches to the body of the hyoid bone.
Key Relations:
-Is one of the suprahyoid muscles lying in the anterior triangle of the neck.
-Forms inferoanterior boundary of submandibular triangle.
-Forms lateral boundary of submental triangle.
-Superior to the anterior belly of digastric is another suprahyoid muscle geniohyoid.
Functions
-Elevates hyoid bone.
-Depresses the mandible e.g. opens mouth and aids swallowing (deglutition)..
Supply
Nerve Supply:
Mylohyoid nerve from the mandibular division (V3)of the trigeminal nerve (CN 5).
Blood Supply:
Submental branch of facial artery.
Clinical
The digastric muscle is an important landmark and subdivides the anterior triangle of the neck into three smaller triangles.
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