It passes transversely below the inferior belly of the omohyoid muscle to the anterior margin of the trapezius, beneath which it divides into a superficial and a deep branch.

It crosses in front of the phrenic nerve and the scalene muscles, and in front of or between the divisions of the brachial plexus, and is covered by the platysma and sternocleidomastoid muscles, and crossed by the omohyoid and trapezius.

The transverse cervical artery originates from the thyrocervical trunk, it passes through the posterior triangle of the neck to the anterior border of the levator scapulae muscle, where it divides into deep and superficial branches.

[2] The dorsal scapular artery (or descending scapular artery[3]) is a blood vessel which supplies the levator scapulae, rhomboids,[4] and trapezius.

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 82 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918) ocular group: central retinal