External Carotid Artery/External Carotid Artery Branches/External Carotid Artery course
This tutorial provides a very basic overview of the branches of the external carotid artery and an easy way to remember them.
The branches include:
- superior thyroid artery
- ascending pharyngeal artery
- lingual artery
- facial artery
- occipital artery
- posterior auricular artery
- maxillary artery
- superficial temporal artery
The external carotid artery begins at the upper border of thyroid cartilage, and curves, passing forward and upward, and then inclining 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 as it travels up the neck, owing to the number and large size of its branches.
At its origin, this artery is closer to the skin and more medial than the internal carotid, and is situated within the carotid triangle.
In children, the external carotid artery is somewhat smaller than the internal carotid; but in the adult, the two vessels are of nearly equal size.
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.
As the artery travels upwards, it supplies:
In the carotid triangle
Superior thyroid artery, arising from its anterior aspect
Ascending pharyngeal artery - arising from medial, or deep, aspect
Lingual artery - arising from its anterior aspect
Facial artery - arise from its anterior aspect
Occipital artery - arising from its posterior aspect
Posterior auricular artery - arising from posterior aspect
The external carotid artery terminates as two branches:
Maxillary artery
Superficial temporal artery