External carotid artery
| Artery: External carotid artery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Arteries of the neck - right side. The external carotid artery arises from the common carotid artery - labeled Common caroti on the figure. | |
 | |
| Plan of branches of internal maxillary artery. (External carotid labeled at bottom left.) | |
| Latin | arteria carotis externa |
| Gray's | p.551 |
| Source | common carotid artery |
| Branches | superior thyroid, lingual, facial, ascending pharyngeal, occipital, posterior auricular, maxillary, superficial temporal |
| MeSH | Carotid+Artery,+External |
The external carotid artery is a major artery of the head and neck. It arises from the common carotid artery when it bifurcates into the external and internal carotid artery.
Structure
The external carotid artery begins at the level of the upper border of thyroid cartilage, and, taking a slightly curved course, passes upward and forward, and then inclines backward to the space behind the neck of the mandible, where it divides into the superficial temporal and maxillary artery within the parotid gland.
It rapidly diminishes in size in its course up the neck, owing to the number and large size of the branches given off from it.
In the child, it is somewhat smaller than the internal carotid; but in the adult, the two vessels are of nearly equal size. At its origin, this artery is more superficial, and placed nearer the middle line than the internal carotid, and is contained within the carotid triangle.
Relations
The external carotid artery is covered by the skin, superficial fascia, Platysma, deep fascia, and anterior margin of the Sternocleidomastoideus; it is crossed by the hypoglossal nerve, by the lingual, ranine, common facial, and superior thyroid veins; and by the Digastricus and Stylohyoideus; higher up it passes deeply into the substance of the parotid gland, where it lies deep to the facial nerve and the junction of the temporal and internal maxillary veins.
Medial to it are the hyoid bone, the wall of the pharynx, the superior laryngeal nerve, and a portion of the parotid gland.
Lateral to it, in the lower part of its course, is the internal carotid artery.
Posterior to it, near its origin, is the superior laryngeal nerve; and higher up, it is separated from the internal carotid by the Styloglossus and Stylopharyngeus, the glossopharyngeal nerve, the pharyngeal branch of the vagus, and part of the parotid gland.
Function
From inferior to superior, the artery supplies:
- Arising in carotid triangle[1]**
- Superior thyroid artery-(arise from anterior aspect)
- Ascending pharyngeal artery-(arise from medial(deep)aspect)
- Lingual artery-(arise from anterior aspect)
- Facial artery-(arise from anterior aspect)
- Occipital artery-(arise from posterior aspect)
- Posterior auricular artery-(arise from posterior aspect)
- Terminal branches
Additional images
-
Branches of external carotid artery
-
The external carotid and vertebral arteries. Right side. Some of the branches labeled
-
The veins of the neck, viewed from in front.
-
The veins of the thyroid gland.
-
Muscles of the pharynx, viewed from behind, together with the associated vessels and nerves.
-
Side of neck, showing chief surface markings.
-
Magnetic Resonance Angiography
-
External carotid artery
-
External carotid artery
-
External carotid artery
-
External carotid artery
-
External carotid artery
-
External carotid artery
-
Muscles, arteries and nerves of neck.Newborn dissection.
References
External links
This article uses anatomical terminology; for an overview, see anatomical terminology.
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to External carotid artery. |
- External Carotid Artery and its branches | Medchrome
- lesson5 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University)
- lesson4 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (infratempfossaart)
- Diagram at umich.edu
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||