Posterior auricular artery

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Artery: Posterior auricular artery
The arteries of the face and scalp. (Posterior auricular visible slightly below ear.)
Latin arteria auricularis posterior
Gray's subject #144 557
Source external carotid artery

The posterior auricular artery is a small and arises from the external carotid artery, above the Digastric muscle and Stylohyoid muscle, opposite the apex of the styloid process.

It ascends posteriorly beneath the parotid gland, along the styloid process of the temporal bone, between the cartilage of the ear and the mastoid process of the parietal bone along the lateral side of the head. The posterior auricular artery supplies blood to the scalp posterior to the auricle and to the auricle itself.

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Arteries of head and neckedit

EXTERNAL CAROTID: Anterior: superior thyroid - superior laryngeal - lingual (sublingual)

facial: cervical branches (ascending palatine - tonsillar - submental) - facial branches (inferior labial - superior labial - lateral nasal - angular)

Posterior and ascending: occipital - posterior auricular - stylomastoid - ascending pharyngeal (meningeal branches)
Terminal: superficial temporal - transverse facial - middle temporal (zygomaticoörbital) - parietal branch
internal maxillary - 1st part: anterior tympanic - deep auricular - middle meningeal - superior tympanic - accessory meningeal - inferior alveolar - lingual
2nd part: deep temporal - masseteric - buccinator - posterior superior alveolar
3rd part: infraorbital - descending palatine - artery of the pterygoid canal - sphenopalatine | (Gray's s144)

INTERNAL CAROTID: cervical portion - petrous portion - cavernous portion
ophthalmic - orbital group: lacrimal - supra-orbital - posterior ethmoidal - anterior ethmoidal - medial palpebral - supratrochlear - dorsal nasal
ocular group: central retinal - ciliary
cerebral portion: anterior cerebral - anterior communicating - middle cerebral - posterior communicating - anterior choroidal - circle of Willis | (Gray's s146 - Gray's s147)

SUBCLAVIAN: vertebral: meningeal branches - posterior spinal - anterior spinal - posterior inferior cerebellar - basilar (internal auditory - anterior inferior cerebellar - superior cerebellar - posterior cerebral)
thyrocervical trunk: inferior thyroid - inferior laryngeal - ascending cervical - suprascapular - transverse cervical - dorsal scapular
internal thoracic: musculophrenic - anterior intercostal - pericardiacophrenic - superior epigastric
costocervical trunk: highest intercostal, deep cervical | (Gray's s148)