目的　探讨甲状腺上动脉的起始情况及其临床意义。  方法　解剖118具用福尔马林固定的尸体的双侧颈区，观察甲状腺上动脉的起始情况以及起始部位到颈总动脉分叉处的距离，并进行统计学分析。  结果　甲状腺上动脉的起始情况可分为颈总动脉分叉处（A）、颈外动脉（B）和颈总动脉（C）三种，所占比例分别为30.93%，37.71%和30.51%；左右两侧甲状腺上动脉起始情况分布有显著差异（P<0.05）；起始于颈外动脉的甲状腺上动脉起始处距颈总动脉分叉处的距离小于起始于颈总动脉的甲状腺上动脉起始处距颈总动脉分叉处的距离。  结论　甲状腺上动脉是头颈部外科手术中具有重要临床意义的动脉，其回顾性分析将为临床应用提供解剖学依据。

Objective　To explore the origin of superior thyroid artery and its clinical significance.  Methods　The bilateral cervical regions of 118 cadavers fixed with formalin were dissected. The origin of the superior thyroid artery and the distance from the origin to the common carotid artery bifurcation were observed and statistically analyzed.　Results　The origin of the superior thyroid artery could be divided into three types: the common carotid artery bifurcation（A）, the external carotid artery（B） and the common carotid artery（C）. The percentages of three types were 30.93%, 37.71% and 30.51% respectively. There was a significant difference in the distribution of the origin of the superior thyroid artery between the left and right sides（P<0.05）. The distance from the origin of the superior thyroid artery originating from the external carotid artery to the common carotid artery bifurcation was less than the distance from the origin of the superior thyroid artery originating from the common carotid artery to the common carotid artery bifurcation.　Conclusions    The superior thyroid artery is one of the most important arteries in head and neck surgery. Its retrospective analysis will provide anatomic basis for clinical study.