Artery Carotid External

The external carotid artery is one of the large arteries that is located in the inner ear. It is involved in the blood supply to the brain and various structures of the head. Its name comes from the Latin word "carotis", which means "goat". This is due to the fact that the artery is located near the base of the skull, where the thyroid cartilage - the tragus - is located. But this is not the only name for the external carotid artery. In international anatomy it is usually denoted by the Latin letter “SA”.

Where is this vessel located? To begin with, it begins near the upper edge of the thyroid cartilage, which in turn lies directly behind the jaw. The artery then ascends along the side of the skull and enters the occipital bone. Directly along the roof of the skull, the artery moves parallel to the pyramid of the temporal bone, but behind the auricle it descends along the back of the neck and passes into the carotid sulcus. There the artery meanders along the occipitomastoid process to the base of the skull.

On its way to the base of the skull, the artery is divided and surrounded by other vessels and nerve structures. On the left and right sides of the vessel lie the maxillary artery and the sinus of the jaw wall. They originate in the upper jaw and pass along the morphic course to the place where they are separated by an arterial vessel. The nerve structures that are close to the external carotid artery are the third pair of cranial nerves (CNIII) and the glossopharyngeal nerve, which provides sensitivity to the mucous membrane of the floor of the mouth.

The external carotid artery supplies blood to the brain, ear, neck, oral cavity, pharynx, dental plexus, mucous membrane and gums. This is of great importance for the health and development of the body, since many functions of our life depend on the quality of blood circulation. For example, with poor blood supply to the brain, many pathologies arise, such as depression, vegetative-vascular dysto