The External Carotid Artery and Branches

Course

The external carotid artery arises as a terminal branch of the common carotid artery within the carotid triangle of the neck – at the level of the superior border of the thyroid cartilage (C4).

It then ascends superiorly and posteriorly, travelling between the neck of the mandible and the lobule of the external ear.

During its ascent, the external carotid artery is covered anterolaterally by the sternocleidomastoid muscle. It is also crossed anteriorly by the hypoglossal nerve and the posterior belly of the digastric muscle.

It gives rise to the following major branches during its course:

• Superior thyroid artery
• Ascending pharyngeal artery
• Lingual artery
• Facial artery
• Occipital artery
• Posterior auricular artery

The external carotid artery terminates within the substance of the parotid gland, where it divides into the maxillary artery and superficial temporal artery.

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2026)

Fig 1
Major branches of the external carotid artery.

Superior Thyroid Artery

The superior thyroid artery is the first major branch. It descends anteriorly and inferiorly towards the thyroid gland, travelling along the lateral border of the thyrohyoid muscle and deep to the sternohyoid and omohyoid muscles.

It supplies the thyroid gland, upper larynx and infrahyoid muscles.

For more detail, see our dedicated article here. 

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2026)

Fig 2
Course of the superior thyroid artery. It has a highly variable branching pattern.

Ascending Pharyngeal Artery

The ascending pharyngeal artery is the second major branch of the external carotid artery, arising from its medial aspect just distal to the carotid bifurcation.

It ascends between the internal carotid artery and the pharynx, passing deep to the styloglossus and stylopharyngeus muscles and over the anterior surface of longus capitis.

It supplies structures of the pharynx, middle ear and cranial cavity – including the pharyngeal muscles, soft palate, palatine tonsils, auditory tube, and dura mater.

For more detail, see our dedicated article here. 

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2026)

Fig 3
The course of the ascending pharyngeal artery

Lingual Artery

The lingual artery is the third major branch of the external carotid artery, arising from its anteromedial aspect at the level of the hyoid bone.

It ascends medially along the middle pharyngeal constrictor, before passing deep to the hypoglossal nerve, stylohyoid muscle and posterior belly of the digastric, and entering the tongue deep to the hyoglossus muscle.

It supplies the tongue and floor of the mouth, including the suprahyoid muscles, sublingual gland and oral cavity structures.

For more detail, see our dedicated article here. 

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2026)

Fig 4
Major branches of the lingual artery.

Facial Artery

The facial artery is the fourth major branch of the external carotid artery.

It passes superiorly and obliquely deep to the digastric and stylohyoid muscles, closely related to the submandibular gland. The facial artery then curves over the body of the mandible and ascends across the face to terminate as the angular artery near the medial aspect of the eye.

It supplies structures of the neck and superficial face, including the submandibular gland, lips and nose.

For more detail, see our dedicated article here. 

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2026)

Fig 5
Anatomical course of the facial artery.

Occipital Artery

The occipital artery is the fifth major branch of the external carotid artery, arising approximately 2cm distal to the carotid bifurcation.

It travels superoposteriorly, deep to the posterior belly of the digastric muscle, crossing the internal carotid artery and internal jugular vein. It then reaches the skull via the occipital groove before becoming superficial in the posterior scalp.

It supplies structures of the posterior neck and scalp, including the sternocleidomastoid muscle, deep neck muscles, posterior ear, occipital scalp and dura mater.

For more detail, see our dedicated article here. 

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2026)

Fig 6
The occipital artery arises from the external carotid artery in the neck.

Posterior Auricular Artery

The posterior auricular artery is the sixth major branch of the external carotid artery, arising at the level of the styloid process.

It ascends superiorly between the parotid gland and styloid process, before passing posterior to the external ear to reach the posterior scalp.

It supplies the ear and posterior scalp, including the pinna, tympanic membrane, parotid gland, and structures of the middle and inner ear.

For more detail, see our dedicated article here. 

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2026)

Fig 7
The course of the posterior auricular artery. It terminates as several small branches in the posterior scalp.

Maxillary Artery

The maxillary artery is a terminal branch of the external carotid artery.

It arises within the substance of the parotid gland and passes anteriorly to enter the infratemporal fossa. It continues through the infratemporal fossa, exiting via the pterygomaxillary fissure to enter the pterygopalatine fossa.

It supplies numerous deep structures of the head – including the deep face, nasal cavity, oral cavity, teeth, dura mater and muscles of mastication.

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2026)

Fig 8
Branches of the maxillary artery to the face.

Superficial Temporal Artery

The superficial temporal artery is a terminal branch of the external carotid artery, arising within the parotid gland at the level of the mandibular neck.

It ascends anterior to the ear and over the zygomatic arch, before terminating in the temporal fossa as frontal and parietal branches.

It supplies structures of the face and scalp, including the parotid region, temporalis muscle, external ear, forehead and lateral scalp.

For more detail, see our dedicated article here. 

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2026)

Fig 9
Branches of the superficial temporal artery

Clinical Relevance

Blood Supply to the Scalp

The scalp receives a rich blood supply from both the external carotid artery (via the superficial temporal, occipital and posterior auricular arteries) and the internal carotid artery (via the supraorbital and supratrochlear arteries).

Injuries to the scalp can result in significant bleeding for several reasons:

• Dense vascular network – numerous arterial anastomoses create a highly vascularised region, allowing blood to flow from multiple sources.
• Fibrous connective tissue – the arterial walls are firmly bound to the surrounding connective tissue, preventing effective vasoconstriction following injury.
• Epicranial aponeurosis – this tough connective tissue layer is held under tension by the frontalis and occipitalis muscles, which can pull wound edges apart.