The external carotid artery is the major artery of the head and upper neck. It arises from the common carotid artery. It terminates by splitting into the superficial temporal and maxillary artery within the parotid gland.
The internal carotid artery is an artery in the neck which supplies the anterior circulation of the brain.
The middle meningeal artery is typically the third branch of the first portion of the maxillary artery. After branching off the maxillary artery in the infratemporal fossa, it runs through the foramen spinosum to supply the dura mater and the calvaria. The middle meningeal artery is the largest of the three (paired) arteries that supply the meninges, the others being the anterior meningeal artery and the posterior meningeal artery.
The cavernous sinus within the human head is one of the dural venous sinuses creating a cavity called the lateral sellar compartment bordered by the temporal bone of the skull and the sphenoid bone, lateral to the sella turcica.
The occipital artery is a branch of the external carotid artery that provides arterial supply to the back of the scalp, sternocleidomastoid muscles, and deep muscles of the back and neck.
The aortic arches or pharyngeal arch arteries are a series of six paired embryological vascular structures which give rise to the great arteries of the neck and head. They are ventral to the dorsal aorta and arise from the aortic sac.
The lingual artery arises from the external carotid artery between the superior thyroid artery and facial artery. It can be located easily in the tongue.
The obturator artery is a branch of the internal iliac artery that passes antero-inferiorly on the lateral wall of the pelvis, to the upper part of the obturator foramen, and, escaping from the pelvic cavity through the obturator canal, it divides into an anterior branch and a posterior branch.
The inferior thyroid artery is an artery in the neck. It arises from the thyrocervical trunk and passes upward, in front of the vertebral artery and longus colli muscle. It then turns medially behind the carotid sheath and its contents, and also behind the sympathetic trunk, the middle cervical ganglion resting upon the vessel.
The posterior auricular artery is a small artery that arises from the external carotid artery. It ascends along the side of the head. It supplies several muscles of the neck and several structures of the head.
The maxillary artery supplies deep structures of the face. It branches from the external carotid artery just deep to the neck of the mandible.
The anterior tympanic artery is a branch of the maxillary artery. It passes through the petrotympanic fissure to entre the middle ear where it contributes to the formation of the circular anastomosis around the tympanic membrane. It provides arterial supply to part of the lining of the middle ear. It is accompanied by the chorda tympani nerve.
The infraorbital artery is a small artery in the head that arises from the maxillary artery and passes through the inferior orbital fissure to enter the orbit, then passes forward along the floor of the orbit, finally exiting the orbit through the infraorbital foramen to reach the face.
The infratemporal fossa is an irregularly shaped cavity that is a part of the skull. It is situated below and medial to the zygomatic arch. It is not fully enclosed by bone in all directions. It contains superficial muscles, including the lower part of the temporalis muscle, the lateral pterygoid muscle, and the medial pterygoid muscle. It also contains important blood vessels such as the middle meningeal artery, the pterygoid plexus, and the retromandibular vein, and nerves such as the mandibular nerve (CN V3) and its branches.
The deep petrosal nerve is a post-ganglionic branch of the (sympathetic) internal carotid (nervous) plexus that enters the cranial cavity through the carotid canal, then passes perpendicular to the carotid canal in the cartilaginous substance which fills the foramen lacerum to unite with the (parasympathetic) greater petrosal nerve to form the nerve of pterygoid canal.
The nerve of the pterygoid canal is formed by the union of the (parasympathetic) greater petrosal nerve and (sympathetic) deep petrosal nerve within the cartilaginous substance filling the foramen lacerum. From the foramen lacerum, the nerve of the pterygoid canal passes through the pterygoid canal to reach the pterygopalatine fossa, ending at the pterygopalatine ganglion.
The pterygoid canal is a passage in the sphenoid bone of the skull leading from just anterior to the foramen lacerum in the middle cranial fossa to the pterygopalatine fossa.
The caroticotympanic artery is a small, sometimes doubled artery which arises from the internal carotid artery. It leaves the carotid canal through a foramen to reach the tympanic cavity. It contributes arterial supply to the osseous part of the pharyngotympanic tube.
The parapharyngeal space, is a potential space in the head and the neck. It has clinical importance in otolaryngology due to parapharyngeal space tumours and parapharyngeal abscess developing in this area. It is also a key anatomic landmark for localizing disease processes in the surrounding spaces of the neck; the direction of its displacement indirectly reflects the site of origin for masses or infection in adjacent areas, and consequently their appropriate differential diagnosis.
A persistent stapedial artery (PSA) is a rare anomaly in human anatomy where the stapedial branch of posterior auricular artery, or simply stapedial artery, remains within the ear of a fetus after the first ten weeks of pregnancy. Whilst not problematic for the majority of people with the anomaly, it can cause difficulties with hearing.
