Branches of External Carotid Artery

Superior Thyroid Artery

Curves downward to the upper pole of thyroid gland.
Accompanied by External Laryngeal Nerve which
supplies the cricothyroid muscle.
Anastomosis with inferior thyroid artery of thyrocervical
trunk.
Ascending Pharyngeal Artery
Ascends along and supplies pharyngeal wall.
Lingual Artery
Arises from the external carotid artery opposite the tip of the
greater cornua of the hyoid bone.
Loops upward and forward
Supplies the tongue
Crossed superficially by hypoglossal canal
 Branches of External Carotid Artery
Facial Artery
Loops upward on lateral surface of pharynx close to the
tonsil.
Grooves the submandibular gland, bends around the lower
border of the mandible, and ascends over the face close to
the anterior border of masseter muscle
Ascend lateral to mouth and terminates at the medial angle
of the orbit. (It pulse can be felt against the mandible.)
2 Parts
Cervical part
Runs upwards on the superior constrictor of
pharynx deep to the posterior belly of the
digastric, stylohyoid & to the ramus of the
mandible.
Facial part
Enters the face related to the antero inferior
aspect of masseter muscle.
 Facial Artery

Cervical Facial

Ascending Tonsillar Submental Glandular Inferior Superior Lateral Angular

Palatine Branch Artery Branches labial Labial Nasal Artery
Branches of External Carotid Artery
Occipital Artery
Arises from the external carotid artery
Enters the lateral cervical region at its
apex
Ascends over the head to supply the
posterior half of the scalp
Supplies back of scalp
Posterior Auricular Artery
Supplies the auricle and the scalp
Superficial Temporal Artery
Ascends over the zygomatic arch, maybe
palpated just in front of the auricle.
Accompanied by the auriculotemporal
nerve, and supplies the SCALP.
 Branches of External Carotid Artery
Maxillary Artery
Runs forward medial to the neck of the mandible.
Leaves the intratemporal fossa through
pterygomaxillary fissure to enter the pterygopalatine
fossa where it splits up into branches that follow the
branches of the maxillary division of the trigeminal
nerve.
Portion:
1. 1st portion
Runs horizontally forwards, first between the neck of
mandible and the sphenomandibular ligament, below
auriculotemporal nerve, and then along lower border of
lateral pterygoid.
2. 2nd portion
Runs upwards and forwards superficial to lower head of
lateral pterygoid.
3. 3rd portion
Passes between the 2 heads of lateral pterygoid and through
the pterygomaxillary fissure to enter the pterygopalatine
fossa.
 Branches
Maxillary Artery
of External Carotid Artery
1st Portion
Deep auricular artery
Anterior tympanic artery
Middle meningeal artery
Accessory meningeal artery
Inferior alveolar artery which gives off its mylohyoid
branch just prior to entering the mandibular foramen
2nd Portion
Masseteric artery
Pterygoid branches
Deep temporal arteries (anterior and posterior)
Buccal artery
3rd Portion
Greater palatine artery
Posterior superior alveolar artery
Artery of pterygoid canal
Pharyngeal artery
Sphenopalatine artery (Nasopalatine artery is the
terminal branch of the Maxillary artery)
Infraorbital artery
 Internal Carotid Artery
Origin : Common Carotid Artery at level of
upper border of thyroid cartilage.
Course : Ascends through the neck of carotid
sheath with the internal jugular vein and
vagus nerve.
Passes deep to the parotid gland.
Enters cranial cavity by passing through
carotid canal.
Passes upward and then forward in the
cavernous sinus.
At anterior end of the sinus, it bends
upward through the roof and medial to
the anterior clinoid process.
Inclines backward, lateral to optic chiasma.
Termination : Divides into anterior and middle cerebral
arteries.
4 parts cervical , petrous, cavernous, cerebral.
General Overview of Venous System Draining
the Head and Neck
 Veins of Neck
1. Anterior jugular vein
2. External jugular vein
3. Internal jugular vein
4. Subclavian vein
5. Brachiocephalic vein
 Anterior Jugular Vein
Formation :
Begins near the hyoid bone by the confluence of
several superficial veins from the submaxillary
region.
Course :
Descends between the median line and the
anterior border of the sternocleidomastoideus
muscle.
Termination:
Passes beneath sternocleidomastoideus muscle at
the lower part of the neck and terminates into
External Jugular Vein
Tributaries :
1. Some laryngeal veins, and occasionally a
small thyroid vein.
2. 2 anterior jugular veins communicate by a
transverse trunk, the venous jugular arch, which
receive tributaries from the inferior thyroid veins.
 External
Formation :
Jugular Vein
Begins near the angle of the mandible by
the union of the posterior division of the
retromandibular vein and posterior
auricular vein.
Course :
Runs perpendicularly down the neck, in
the direction of a line drawn from the
angle of the mandible to the middle of the
clavicle at the posterior border of
the sternocleidomastoideus.
Termination:
Terminates into the subclavian vein.
Tributaries :
1. Transverse cervical
2. Suprascapular
3. Anterior jugular veins *Drains most of the scalp & side of the face.
 Internal Jugular Vein
Formation :
The sigmoid sinus joins the inferior petrosal sinus to
form the internal jugular vein.
Course :
Begins in the posterior compartment of the jugular
foramen, at the base of the skull.
Runs down the side of the neck in a vertical
direction, being at one end lateral to the internal
carotid artery, and then lateral to the common
carotid.
Termination :
Behind the sternal end of the clavicle
Join the subclavian vein & forms brachiocephalic
vein.
Tributaries :
1. Middle thyroid vein
2. Superior thyroid vein
3. Lingual vein
4. Common facial vein
5. Pharyngeal vein
 Subclavian Vein
Formation :
Continuation of the axillary vein
Course :
Runs from the outer border of the first rib to
the medial border of anterior scalene muscle
Passes anterior to the scalene anterior muscle
& phrenic nerve.
Termination :
Joins the Internal jugular vein to form the
brachiocephalic vein.
Tributaries :
External Jugular vein
Major venous channel draining the upper
limb.
 Brachiocephalic Vein
Formation :
Begins by the union of Subclavian and Internal
Jugular Vein behind sternoclavicular joint
Course :
Right brachiocephalic vein is approximately
3.5cm long.
Left brachiocephalic vein is 6 cm long.
Both converge
Termination
Superior Vena Cava
Tributaries
Vertebral vein
Inferior thyroid vein
Internal thoracic vein
Left superior intercostal vein
Supreme intercostal vein
Thymic veins
 Applied Anatomy on Blood Vessels of Head
and
CarotidNeck
artery angiogram-
Angiogram is an X-ray picture
that uses a special dye to
visualize the blood flow in the
blood vessels.
Can be used to view the large
arteries in the neck.
Applied Anatomy on Blood Vessels of Head
and Neck
Swelling of the salivary gland or thyroid gland (Infection, Tumor etc.)
Compression of the Carotid Artery, Trachea and structures around
Syncope.
Oral Maxillary surgery for aesthetic purpose may involve ligation of facial
artery to prevent excessive bleeding.
The face is richly supplied by arteries (facial, transverse facial, small arteries
accompany the cutaneous branches of trigeminal nerve) therefore, facial
wounds will bleed profusely but heal quickly.
Facial veins are devoid of valves and rest directly on muscles of fascial
expression, movements of these muscles may facilitate the spread of septic
emboli from face to cavernous sinus causing its thrombosis. For this
reason you are advised not to play with the pimples of your face as
squeezing of pustules may initiate the spread of septic emboli.
Summary
Summary
 Q&A Session
Name These Structures..
 TIRED???
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