Normal Vascular Structures and Variants on Head and Neck Imaging.

The vasculature of the neck, comprised of arteries and veins, provides for the supply and return of blood to and from the brain, and to structures of the neck and face. Knowledge of normal appearance and anatomy, and anatomic variants, may help one distinguish between normal and pathologic processes in the neck, which may affect diagnosis or choice of surgical approach. Other related structures that are important to recognize include the thoracic duct and carotid body. In this article examples of mostly computed tomography and MR imaging of normal anatomy and some of these variants are shown.