ANATOMIA DA ARTÉRIA LINGUAL PROFUNDA EM Sus scrofa domestica, LINNAEUS, 1758

We studied the arteries of the tongue of Sus scrofa domestica (Linnaeus, 1758) from 20 animals whose tongues were slaughtered while fresh and kept cooled (4oC) for transportation. The blood vessels of 15 animals were flowed with water (37oC), injected with stained latex, fixated with phormaldeid and dissected with magnifying glass. We injected 5 tongues with air and acetone PA; later, we injected again with air and at last with vinyl stained acetate. The material was put in water for 24 h and, after this, submerged in sulfuric acid 30% for two weeks to reveal the arterial system mold. The arteries provided dorsal, ventral and collateral branches in the following way: dorsal branches at the tongue root - three branches (50%), four branches (46.6%), five branches (3.4%); arrangements of the following dorsal and ventral branches at the tongue body - one ventral and two dorsal (46.6%), one ventral and three dorsal (23.3%), one ventral and one dorsal (23.3%), one ventral and four dorsal (3.4%) and one ventral branch (3.4%). At the lingual apex, the artery was parallel between antimers, made a medial curve, and reached the counter-lateral artery, establishing anastomoses by inosculation, forming arterial islands from which radial branches to the tip of the tongue were originated. KEYWORDS: lingual arteries; pigs; Sus scrofa domestica; swine; tongue.