The head and neck receive their primary blood supply from the carotid and vertebral arteries. The common carotid arteries divide into external and internal carotids. The external carotid supplies neck and face structures, branching into the superior thyroid, lingual, facial, occipital, and maxillary arteries. The internal carotid supplies the brain, branching into the anterior and middle cerebral arteries. Venous drainage is performed by the internal and external jugular veins, which drain into the subclavian vein.

1. Dr. Tanya Rashid
Anatomy Dept

2. The head & neck receives the majority of
its blood supply through the carotid and
vertebral arteries.

3. CAROTID ARTERIES
COMMON CAROTID ARTERIES
• The right common carotid artery arises
from the brachiocephalic artery behind
the right sternoclavicular joint
• The left artery arises from the arch of
aorta in the superior mediastinum
• Runs upward through the neck
• Divides into external and internal
carotid arteries

4. CAROTID SINUS
• At its point of division, the common
carotid artery shows a localized
dilatation, called carotid sinus
• It serves as a reflex baroreceptor
mechanism
• A rise in blood pressure causes a
slowing of the heart rate and
vasodilatation of the arterioles

5. CAROTID BODY
• It is a small structure that lies posterior
to the point of bifurcation of the
common carotid artery
• It is innervated by glossopharyngeal
nerve
• It serves as a chemoreceptor
• Sensitive to excess carbon dioxide and
reduced oxygen tension in the blood
• Stimulus reflex produces a rise in blood
pressure and heart rate and increase in
respiratory movements

6. EXTERNAL CAROTID ARTERY
• It is one of the terminal branches of the
common carotid artery
• It supplies the structures in the neck, face,
scalp, tongue and maxilla
• Begins at the level of the upper border of
the thyroid cartilage
• Terminates in the substance of the parotid
gland by dividing into superficial temporal
and maxillary arteries.
• At its origin, where its pulsation can be felt,
the artery lies within the carotid triangle
• Lies medial to the internal carotid artery

7. BRANCHES OF
EXTERNAL CAROTID ARTERY
1. Superior thyroid artery
2. Ascending pharyngeal artery
3. Lingual artery
4. Occipital artery
5. Facial artery
6. Posterior auricular artery
7. Superficial temporal artery
8. Maxillary artery

8. SUPERIOR
THYROID ARTERY
• Arises from the external carotid
artery near its origin
• Passes almost vertically
downward
• Reach the upper pole of thyroid
gland
• It gives off a branch to the
sternocleidomastoid

9. ASSENDING
PHARYNGEAL ARTERY
This artery ascends along and
supplies the wall of the pharynx.
LINGUAL ARTERY: It loops
upwards to the submandibular
region and supplies the tongue.

10. FACIAL ARTERY
• It arises from the external carotid
artery, just above the level of the
tip of the greater cornu of hyoid
bone
• It arches upward deep to reach
the posterior part of the
submandibular salivary gland
• It supplies the face
• Branches of the facial artery
supplies the tonsil, the
submandibular gland, and the
muscles of the skin and face.

11. OCCIPITALARTERY:
• It arises from the external carotid
artery, opposite the facial artery
• It passes upward and reaches the back
of the scalp
• Its terminal part accompanies branches
of the greater occipital nerve to supply
the back of scalp
POSTERIOR AURICULAR
ARTERY:
• It arises from the external carotid
artery, at the level of the upper border
of the posterior belly of the digastric
muscle
• It passes backward to reach the auricle

12. SUPERFICIAL TEMPORALARTERY
• It is the smaller terminal branch of the
external carotid artery
• Ascends in front of the auricle in
company with auriculotemporal nerve
• It divides into anterior and posterior
branches, which supply the skin over
the frontal and temporal regions
MAXILLARY ARTERY:
• It is the larger terminal branch of the
external carotid artery in the parotid gland
• It arises behind the neck of the mandible
• It runs upward and forward, leaves the
infratemporal fossa by entering the
pterygopalatine fossa

13. INTERNAL CAROTID ARTERY
• It is one of the terminal branches of the
common carotid artery
• It has no branches in the neck and enters
the cranial cavity, supplies the brain, the
eye, the forehead, and the part of nose
• It begins at the level of the upper border of
the thyroid cartilage
• Ascends in the neck to the base of the skull
• It enters the cranial cavity through the
carotid canal in the petrous part of the
temporal bone
• It lies embedded in the carotid sheath with
the internal jugular vein and vagus nerve
• It gives off no branches in the neck

14. BRANCHES OF THE
INTERNAL CAROTID ARTERIES
Subclavian artery
• Anterior cerebral artery
• Middle cerebral artery
• Ophthalmic artey
• Anterior choroidal artery
• Posterior communicating
artery

15. CIRCLE OF WILLIS
• The circle of willis lies in the
subarachnoid space at the
base of the brain.
• It is formed by the
anastomosis between the
branches of two internal
carotid and the two vertebral
arteries.
• The anterior communicating,
posterior cerebral and basilar
(formed by the junction of the
two vertebral arteries) are all
arteries that contribute to the
circle.

16. SUBCLAVIAN ARTERY
• The subclavian arteries are a pair of
large arteries in the thorax that
supply head and neck and thorax.
• It can have two origins; the aortic
arch on the left and brachiocephalic
trunk on the right.
• Left subclavian arises from aortic
arch
• Right subclavian arises from the
brachiocephalic trunk
• Subclavian arteries give contribution
to CNS through one of its main
branches: VERTEBRAL ARTERY.

17. VERTEBRAL ARTERY
• The vertebral arteries enter
the cranium via the foramen
magnum and converge to
form the basilar artery, which
contribute to supply the brain.
• The vertebral arteries do not
supply any branches to the
neck or any other extra cranial
structures.

18. VEINS OF THE NECK
The venous drainage can be divided
into:
VENOUS DRAINAGE OF THE
BRAIN AND MENINGES: supplied
by the dural venous sinuses
VENOUS DRAINAGE OF THE
SCALP AND FACE: drained by the
veins with arteries of the face and
scalp. These empty into the internal
and external jugular veins.
VENOUS DRAINAGE OF THE
NECK: carried out by the anterior
jugular veins.
There are three main jugular veins;
external, internal and anterior. They
are ultimately responsible for the
venous drainage of the whole head &
neck.

19. EXTERNAL JUGULAR VEIN
• The external jugular vein is
formed behind the angle of the
jaw by the union of the
posterior auricular vein with
the posterior division of the
retromandibular vein
• It descends across the
sternocleidomastoid muscle
and beneath the platysma
muscle
• It drains into the subclavian
vein behind the middle of the
clavicle

20. ANTERIOR JUGULAR VEIN
• The anterior jugular vein
descends in the front of the
neck close to the midline
• Just above the sternum, it is
joined to the opposite vein by
the jugular arch
• It joins the external jugular
vein deep to the
sternocleidomastoid muscle

21. INTERNAL JUGULAR VEIN
• The internal jugular vein is a large
vein that receives blood from the
brain, face, and neck
• It starts as a continuation of the
sigmoid sinus and leaves the skull
through the jugular foramen
• It then descends through the neck in
the carotid sheath lateral to the vagus
nerve and the internal and common
carotid arteries
• It ends by joining the subclavian vein
behind the medial end of the clavicle
to form the brachiocephalic vein

22. TRIBUTARIES OF
INTERNAL JUGULAR VEIN
• Inferior petrosal sinus
• Facial vein
• Pharyngeal veins
• Lingual vein
• Superior thyroid vein
• Middle thyroid vein

23. SUBCLAVIAN VEIN
• The subclavian vein is the
continuation of the axillary
vein at the outer border of the
1st rib.
• It joins the internal jugular
vein to form the
brachiocephalic vein, and it
receives the externa jugular
vein.

24. THANK YOU!