MEDIVEERSETHE PRACTICAL HUB
Locate external carotid artery on this anatomical reference. Read the original plate labels to confirm the view and adjacent structures.
Zoom in, then drag to inspect. Keyboard: + / − to zoom, arrows to pan, 0 to reset. Tap the numbered markers to explore parts.
head arteries: labelled anatomical figure. Original source colours and labels retained.
Image: OpenStax / University of Hawaiʻi adapted teaching figures; original contributors credited at source · Source / original · CC BY 4.0 — figure credits at sourceNumbered markers and focused views are Mediveerse learning overlays; the original reference is linked above.
External carotid artery
Understand what you see.
Supplies much of the external head and neck.
Zoom into the original labels. Practise pointing out each structure, then explain it aloud. Diagrams are teaching references; specimen appearance and slide staining vary.
How to recognise it.
- Identify its origin or drainage
- Trace its regional course
- Confirm its important neighbouring structures
Point them out.
Tap a number to open its reference, zoom in and locate the structure. Numbers stay the same across views. This key follows landmarks visible in the reference images.
Think first. Then reveal.
Say your answer aloud before opening the suggested response.
Examiner-style prompts: identify the structure, explain its relations, then answer the applied follow-up. These are revision questions, not authenticated past papers.
01Identify external carotid artery and give its main role.+
Identify its origin or drainage. Trace its regional course. Confirm its important neighbouring structures. Supplies much of the external head and neck.
02List its eight principal named branches.+
Superior thyroid, ascending pharyngeal, lingual, facial, occipital, posterior auricular, maxillary and superficial temporal; patterns vary.
03Where does it terminate?+
Within the parotid region behind the mandibular neck, dividing into maxillary and superficial temporal arteries.
04Point out three important relations and explain their significance.+
Superior thyroid, lingual and facial; Ascending pharyngeal, occipital and posterior auricular; Maxillary and superficial temporal. Supplies much of the external head and neck. Use the reference plate to locate the region; the relationship map organises the associations and is not drawn to scale.
Read the references.
Credited anatomical plates, microscopy and university teaching references. Individual image credits appear below the viewer. Historical plates can use older terminology; use the lesson text for current names.